Death, and After That
by Trackula
Summary: After a terrible accident, Shego is left a hollow shell, capable of nothing but destruction. Can Kim help her before its too late? Warning, KiGo flavored in later chapters. Certain elements borrowed from Gungrave: Overdose
1. A Better Foe

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 1: A Better Foe

When Shego awoke that morning, several obvious signs indicated that it would be a uniquely miserable day. In fact if she had to guess, it was a going to be day that she would use to compare to all future bad days. It wasn't so much that she had a migraine that could crack marble. It wasn't that when she tried to get out of bed her legs got caught in her comforter and she landed on her nose. It wasn't even the bruise along her left shoulder that she got courtesy of a certain teenage hero the night before, while retrieving an item for her inept employer. That fact of the matter was that under all this, it was instinct. A cold chill was moving up her spine since the moment Shego woke up and she continued to experience it even after getting showered and dressed. It left her more grouchy and irritable than usual.

The night before, Dr. Drakken had ordered her to go to some military base to retrieve some new and dangerous device for some new and dangerous evil operation. She saw fit to ask him what this, "Dimensional Quantum-Force Analyzer" was for but the blue man merely looked away and said no more on the subject so Shego just shrugged and went about her business. The actual breaking into the base was as easy as it ever was; she knocked out some guards, grabbed the device and made a quick break for Dr. D's current hidden lair. However, as it turned out, Kim Possible must have been waiting for this and things quickly came to blows.

Shego and Kim exchanged the usual pleasantries; Kim demanded Shego drop the device, Shego called Kim a cute nickname to insult her, and soon the battle was on. Shego admitted to herself that "Pumpkin" certainly was getting better but doubted that the girl would be surpassing the thief anytime soon. When all was said and done, Shego managed to get away with the device and given it to Drakken who walked off to the lab with it without even a word of thanks and (what Shego considered) a strange look on his face. He seemed lost in thought, or even unsure of him self, almost as if he wasn't sure what he was doing was the right thing. Shego had laughed at the thought; an evil scientist worried about doing the wrong thing.

Having finished up breakfast in the lairs insufficient kitchen, she approached Drakken to see how his plan-of-the-week was going. As she entered the lab, she was surprised to find that the device he was building was already the size of a small house, and resembled some kind of metal doorframe with a variety of exposed tubes and wires leading from it. Drakken was currently on his knees soldering two wires together around the device. It had been a long time since she saw Drakken work on something with such a focused expression. He even seemed to be mumbling to himself.

_Hmm, it seems Dr. D finally flew the coop. About time I suppose. He is supposed to be a mad scientist._ She thought. Then she decided to say something.

"Hey, Dr. D?" No response, almost as if Drakken couldn't hear her. Shego began to lose her temper. She walked over to the inventor and poked him with her boot.

"Helooo, Dr. D? Earth to Drakken!" Annoyed, the good doctor stopped what he was doing and looked up at her.

"What IS it Shego, can't you see I'm very VERY busy?" Shego crossed her arms and looked down at him with equal annoyance.

"Yeah, about that. Considering how I busted my hump last night to make this THING a reality, I sure would like to know what it IS!" At this point, Shego was willing to weather one of Drakken's trademark rants if it would only answer her question. With a sigh, the man stood up and dusted himself off before looking up at her with bloodshot eyes. He probably worked on this device well through the night, Shego guessed.

"Very well, Shego. I suppose, as I'm about finished anyway. I will dazzle you with news of my greatest plan to date!" He held up his fist triumphantly. Well it would have been considered triumphant if he wasn't so tired. He raised it barely higher than his shoulder before dropping it back to his side.

"You see, Shego I've noticed a certain trend among my plans for awhile now…" He trailed off with a slight blush.

"What trend?"

"They keep failing!" He whined while making two fists. Shego wanted to say something along the lines of, "Well DUH!" but decided that she wanted to know what the machine was first. It was no good putting him in a mood beforehand. After however…

"For a while now, I've been the laughing stock of the criminal community! My name is a joke even though the other villains are just as unsuccessful as I've been! They talk about me as though I were a fool in all the chat-rooms, and I'm not even invited to any of the villain-mixers anymore! Not even DNAmy will associate with me at this point! Do you understand, DNAmy! If it wasn't for you, Shego, I would have been even more humiliated than I am now."

Shego wasn't sure what to say; she had never seen Dr. D act like this before. For the last couple of weeks he had acted slightly burned out, but she never expected he was stewing on this the whole time. The sad thing was what he was saying was God's honest truth. He really was just a joke at this point, and she really was all he had going for him. She almost pitied him.

"Um… Dr. D-" He cut her off, not finished with his rant.

"So I came to a realization, Shego! I could get it all back! The respect, the fear, the power, if I just went far enough I could do it. All I have to do is deal with that Kim Possible once and for all!"

This brought a frown to Shego's face. Was that all this was about, stopping Kimmie? Shego had been down this road before and it never ended well. However, Drakken had more to say on the subject.

"And that's where this brilliant device comes in! You see, no one around has ever beaten that red-haired troublemaker, and that's obviously because no one CAN ever beat her!"

"Hey, wait just one minute Dr. D! What am I chopped liver? I can take her if I just had the chance." Drakken frowned at the interruption.

"You've fought her a hundred-thousand times by now Shego, and she keeps coming! You're clearly not up to snuff no matter how good you THINK you are." He looked at her with such a sneer; she wanted to burn it off his face. How dare he say that? Shego knew her track record against the young cheerleader was less then stellar but not a one of their fights had ever been decisive. If it came down to it, she was sure she could wipe the little teen from the face of the earth. It was simply that she had no reason too she rationalized. Shego was a thief not a killer. She enjoyed dealing with Pumpkin; it gave her otherwise boring life some much-needed excitement.

Drakken shook his head. "I know how skilled you are Shego, but even still she must be crushed and no matter what either of us have tried she continues to foil my wonderful plans. That is why I must look elsewhere for the talent needed to defeat her."

Shego cocked her head in mild confusion. _Elsewhere? Does he mean hiring Jack Hench? That wouldn't get you anywhere. Pumpkin's torn through Hench's guys a dozen times in the past… so have I for that matter, ha ha. Face it Dr. D, there isn't anyone out there better than me so I guess you're out of luck._ Despite this, she decided to humor him.

"Where elsewhere?"

Drakken grinned like she answered the million-dollar question. He rubbed his hands together with excitement and pointed towards the device he was working on.

"There elsewhere!" He ignored her look of confusion and continued. "You see, Shego, the device you so efficiently delivered to me is capable of scanning and analyzing alternate dimensions and this portal I've attached it to will tear a portal to that dimension open for me to use to my advantage!"

"I'm still not following how this guarantees you can beat Kim Possible."

"It's deceptively simple Shego. If no one in THIS world can beat her… we'll find someone from ANOTHER world who can beat her. Someone from a meaner, nastier world then this one could ever hope to be! My victory is assured!"

_Wait a second… why would a bad guy from another world ever help us? Especially if he is as tough as Drakken is looking for… I can already see a dozen problems with this plan._ She told Drakken as much. He frowned and turned away from her.

"If he doesn't help us he'll be trapped here since I wont send him back to his world until he does. It's so simple, Shego. Besides, locating the world is already finished. I spent all last night zooming in on which frequency seemed the most promising and I found it! This man cannot be stopped by the like of Kim Possible no matter what gadgets or martial art skills she has!"

"Okay, so who is he?"

Drakken shrugged.

"I don't know his name, but the analyzer classified him as a class ten threat! Do you understand, class ten!" Shego didn't bother to ask what that meant. "Shego, I'll need you to be here when I activate the machine in case something happens.

Shego thought of the chill that had been dancing down her spine all morning. She had a feeling it might have been referring to this half-baked scheme.

"Doc, I think this is a bad idea, we don't know what could happen!" He ignored her.

"Listen Shego, I spent all night finishing this project. I will not suffer another days worth of embarrassment! This ends today!" He cracked his knuckles in preparation. Drakken approached the machines console clearly having made up his mind with no room for dissent, which meant warning klaxons were going off in Shego's head. The only reason she hadn't run off already was to make sure her boss didn't get himself killed. As stupid as her employer was, she didn't want to see him dead. Before Shego could manage to utter another word of warning, Drakken slammed his hand down on the consoles big red button.

A blinding light erupted between the edges of the portal's frame in a zigzag pattern, causing Shego and Drakken to both cover their eyes. The light widened and filled the portal before darkening out of existence. In its place was an image as clear as if they were looking through a window. Cautiously the two approached the portal and looked inside.

The sight was disturbing to say the least. The portal seemed to have formed in a dark metal room the size of a gymnasium. The floor was in ruins with spikes of concrete and twisted foundation sticking straight up like giant thorns. Dried blood was all over every surface, and a massive door was open at the end of the room. The most shocking thing though was the silent and still figure on his knees in the center of the room.

Even from this distance and even though he was on his knees Shego could tell he was at least eight and a half feet tall, or taller. He wore a dark black tattered coat, and a wide brimmed black cowboy hat with a long rip in the front lay on the floor in front of him. His most shocking feature aside from his size was his face. He was bald with blue-white skin like a drowned corpse. His eyes were white with bulls-eye like pupils, and he seemed to have screws going up both sides of his face and on top of that he lacked all the flesh on his lower jaw, exposing thick muscles and tendons bordering his lipless maw. His body was leaning against some kind of giant metal crucifix that he was clinging too like some kind of tombstone. The cross was even bigger than the man was by at least a foot. One last aspect of him failed to escape either Shego or Drakken's notice. The man was clearly dead.

"Doc… your mean, nasty monster seems to have already bit the dust." Shego smirked. Drakken seemed so beside himself he was pulling his hair out.

"No! I was so close, he can't be dead!" He looked over at one of the monitors. "The analyzer still labels him as a class ten! A corpse can't be a class ten!" He looked over the data in a panic, already seeing his plan falling apart around him. Um… uh… SHEGO! Go in there and get him! I want him out here so I can see for myself!"

Shego stared blankly before delivering her response. "Um, no."

"You have too, Shego! I need him! Besides, I'll give you a 5 percent bonus for it!"

"30 percent"

"Um… 10 percent"

"30"

"Gah… 15"

"30, or you can get him yourself."

Drakken caved. "Grrr, FINE! I'll give you 30 percent, but you had better get him out here right this minute!" Shego shuddered and cautiously took a step into the portal.

_Thirty percent is still barely worth this garbage!_ She managed to maneuver herself past the spikes cursing her fate with every step. She was amazed at how big the man (or was it monster?) looked as she approached.

_Wow, whoever he was, this guy must have been a real terror._ She gave the metal crucifix a look as she came closer and closer to him. There was a handle with a trigger coming out of the top end of the cross, which brought Shego to a terrifying realization.

_OH MY GOD, that's a giant GUN!_ The idea that such a monster could have used such a ridiculous weapon boggled her mind. She imagined that even if she managed to prop such a weapon up and pull the trigger the recoil would probably tear her arms clean off.

When she finally ended up face-to-face with the creature she saw that even on his knees he was still taller then her. The thief walked around the monster to take it all in. There were bullet holes all over his body and his entire torso was a tattered ruin. She cautiously reached her hand forward and touched his shoulder. The skin didn't give at all, it was as hard as iron. She pulled her hand away and shuddered.

_What kind of person could have stopped this… thing?_ Shego realized that she would need the hover-pod to move such a large mass. She shouted over to Drakken for it and he rushed to accommodate. He even helped her pull the monster onto the cart when he saw how much trouble it was causing her. Even dead, the creature refused to let go of that gun, so they were forced to make room for it. The shear weight of the two combined was enough that the hover-pod was dragging against the ground so Shego and Drakken had to walk on either side of the pod guiding it. It took them several minutes to get past the spikes and exit the portal; Shego cursed Drakken the whole time much to his obvious dismay.

After a great deal of physical exertion the two laid the monster out on a lab table and Drakken wasted no time scanning it's body while Shego watched in disgust. The creature looked like some terrible parody of Frankenstein's monster to her, and even had stitches all along its body to add to the experience. She noticed that from its right knee down, its leg was a metal prosthetic with spikes along the side and a skull-shaped kneecap.

_What a freak… Who would make something like this? It looks like something out of a B-horror movie._ As Drakken analyzed the data he was receiving from his instruments, she saw something about the creature that made her hear skip at least two beats. The many bullet holes and chest wounds on its torso had begun to shrink.

"Um, Dr.D!"

"Not now, Shego, as far as I can tell while this creature is not giving off any recognizable life signs I keep getting unnatural readings from-"

"Listen! Look at its wounds!" He wasn't listening; he was too busy trying to solve the riddle that was this creature's data.

"Doc!" She took a step back as she saw one of its fingers twitched.

Drakken whipped around in a rage, "WHAT? What's so…so…" He trailed off when the monster stood up and roared.

**"GGGRRRRAAAAAAVVVVVEEEEE!!!!!!"**

Chapter 1: End


	2. Inevitable Madness

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 2: Inevitable Madness

All that the pair of criminals could do was step back as the tremendous monster stood on top of the table and roared, its lidless eyes swiveling left and right as it tried to reorient itself. The creature's voice was a loud metallic rasp, almost like a person talking through a fan. It appeared to be looking for someone or somthing even dispite its disoriented state. Shego took urgent notice of the fact that the creature was currently between herself and Drakken, and appeared to slowly be focusing on him (In Shego's personal opinion it was probably because the man was blue).

**"WHERE…" **Drakken took several nervous steps backwards before stopping when he saw his face was two centimeters away from looking down the nightmarish barrel of the creature's cross-like gun.

"N-n-n-now now… there's no need f-f-for such DRASTIC actions". Drakken managed to stutter while sweating rivers. "W-w-why d-don't we all just c-c-calm down…"

_Yeah, this is just a super-brilliant plan Dr. D_, Shego thought as she silently inched her way over to the monster's blind spot. If Drakken kept it distracted long enough she could easily make the jump and take the beast down before it did anything permanent.

**"NOT CALM!!! FANGORAM DESTROY **_**ANYONE**_** IN FANGORAM'S WAY!!!" **

The monsters eyes flashed dangerously, and it's teeth ground together making a sound reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. Drakken only managed a frightened squeak before falling to his knees, the face of impending death literally staring down at him. The world seemed to slow down as he saw the monster's finger slowly begin to squeeze the trigger on the weapon that would be the end of him. However, it was due to this enhanced perception that Drakken was able to see his personal thief leap high behind the monster and deliver a devastating punch wreathed in green alien power to the back of the beasts head.

"Rrrargh! If you're dead you should act the part, Ugly!" Shego felt the satisfying impact as her best punch slammed into the base of the monsters head, directly on the brainstem. No one would be able to get up from that for days after such a blow.

_Shego one, monster zero, ha ha. _

Her mental boasting was cut short when she actually looked where her fist was connecting. There appeared to be some kind of red barrier that threw itself up right as her fist hit. The thing hadn't even felt the blow!

_Uh oh…_

Slowly the monster turned to look at the woman who had interrupted him. Shego jumped back to the ground and took several reflexive steps backwards. The way he was looking at her reminded her of someone looking down at a fly through a microscope. The monsters right arm blurred for a moment and Shego felt a fist as hard as a wrecking ball slam into her midsection and send her up into the air and into the ceiling. It was only due to years of training that she managed to land on all fours rather than her face when she hit the ground. The pain in her midsection was all that was keeping her from throwing her guts up.

_How can something so big move that fast?_

Movement out of the corner of her eye was all the indication she needed to summersault to the side and avoid having the creature's gun come down on her head. She heard the crushing of stone and managed to see the monster-guns barrel three feet deep into the floor where she was not a moment ago. Another blur had her jump to the left to avoid a similar fate. Shego was pressed entirely on the defensive just trying to keep from getting crushed.

"All right, that's it!" Shego jumped over the gun rather then around it and landed of the monsters arm, then ran up the length of the limb all the while building up the largest plasma surge she could physically manage. She intended to put this demon down hard and fast. When Shego was up close with it's torso she released the pent of torrent of green star-flame directly against the monsters chest filling the lair with blinding green light. Without pausing to assess the damage, Shego began landing blow after fiery blow right into the center of the small explosion. She was satisfied when "Fangoram" fell backwards off balanced by her relentless attack.

"Hey, Dr. D, lets see Kim Possible do that!" Shego shouted smugly while looked down at her handiwork. As the smoke cleared all her pride died away and she froze solid when she saw what all her efforts had amounted to. Just as she had hoped, she got through the monsters force field, however when all was said and done all she had managed was a rapidly receding burn mark on the creatures chest.

"**GARGH!!! FANGORAM THROW YOU OUT WITH REST OF TRASH!!!" **

Fangoram made a move to reach for Shego but she slipped from his grasp by back flipping onto the floor and running to get some much needed space between her and it.

_Maybe if I just keep sniping at him with my plasma bolts I can wear him down… God I hope that's the case!_

Her progress was halted suddenly when two concrete spikes erupted out of the floor in front of her. Shego whipped around to see that the monster had done such a feat by merely punching the ground where he stood.

_So that's what those spikes were back there…_

Everywhere she turned the monster was erecting a barrier of stone to halt her path as it steadily closed the gap between them. As her last path of escape was closed in front of her, Shego's mind was in a frenzy trying to figure out a way to get out of this horrible situation in one piece. She slowly turned around as she heard two heavy footsteps stop directly behind her. Despairing, Shego looked up at the invincible assailant looming above her. Despite his inability to make any noticeable facial expressions, Shego could sense he was smug.

_Trapped like a rat…_Shego thought while sweat dripped down her face. _Ah well, I wont be beaten by a monster like this EVER! _She jumped into the air towards the monster in a desperate attempt to save her life and stop this beast. He snatched her out of the air with embarrassing ease and held her up at arms length. Shego was holding onto his massive wrist trying to burn through but the progress she was making was laughable at best. She would never admit it but she was terrified as to what the immediate future would hold.

**"FANGORAM SEND YOU FLYING!!!"**

The monster lifted the gun in his right hand and pressed the enormous barrel directly against Shego's midsection. She could feel the cold metal rubbing against her through the fabric of her uniform and found herself too scared to think. The demonic figure was taking it's time to savor the panic he could see in her eyes as it prepared this macabre execution.

Fangoram pulled the trigger. Shego was blown in half.

_Oh my god, I'm dieing! I can't die, no I WONT die! I… No, this isn't fair. This is Drakken's fault! HE should be the one here._

Her torso hit the floor directly in front of her employer who had been on his knees crying under the lab table the whole time. The man looked up to see what had made the thud noise and began screaming until he was horse. Shego could feel her consciousness begin to drift from blood loss.

_I always thought this was supposed to hurt; being blown in two should hurt… I'm probably going into shock, that's the only explanation I can think of. I never should have been a part of this… I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS! It was supposed to be with KIMMIE! In a real fight! …Against a real person... That was how I wanted to go! Not to some horrible **thing**…_

Slowly Shego began to see a distorted image form down the hallway. At first the spectral form was little more then a red blur, but after awhile it became the familiar image of a smiling redhead walking towards her.

"P-pum…kin…you came…" Shego's hand began to reach towards the girl before her, and then it fell back to the floor and stopped moving.

Drakken had stopped screaming when he saw Shego begin to reach for something. He crawled over to the edge of his hiding place and turned his head over to see what it was. All he could see was an empty hallway.

The doctor heard heavy footsteps stop above him, causing him to cover his head with his arms and weep. The sound of tearing metal filled the lab as the table was torn from the floor and thrown into the far wall. Drakken managed to force himself to look up into the pitiless eyes of this demon he must have pulled out of hell.

The monsters hand began to reach for the doctor to enact some final brutal act before moving on. When his fingers were moments away from closing around the mad scientists head the creatures hand stopped and began to shake. Disoriented the creature took a step back and dropped his gun with a resounding heavy clang. Fangoram grabbed his head in both hands and roared in pain. Drakken didn't know what to make of the unusual display and was not in a position where he had the clarity of thought to find out. All he could do was look on in fear.

**"NOOOO!!!!! O-OUT OF B-B-BLOOODDDD!!!!" **

The beast roared and looked at Drakken through it's squinting eyes. Hopelessly Fangoram began to reach for the blue doctor as though out of some mindless hatred, a need for one last act of senseless brutality.

"**F-F-FANGORAM… WILL GET YOU!!!"**

The massive hand stopped inches away from Drakken's face. After ten minutes the shock wore off and Drakken angled his head around the arm to see why the monster had stopped. It appeared to have frozen in the same position it did when in mid reach and seemed to be in no hurry to move from it. Even it's eyes were still looking at the space Drakken occupied a moment before. It appeared to be just as dead as it was when the two first found it, not that Drakken intended to take any chances.

He stood up on shaky legs and ran to Shego's side. He could see all the way into her chest cavity from looking into the torn flesh under her ribs. Blood was dripping everywhere but despite this, she seemed to have a calm almost euphoric look on her face.

Despite the state of her, Drakken still reached out and grabbed her wrist to check for the woman's pulse. It was an obvious act of desperation.

"SHEGO! Shego, talk to me! Please! I'm so sorry, Shego! I should have listened to you I know that but please WAKE UP!" As if in the spirit of their entire relationship, Shego ignored Dr. Drakken.

Slowly, Drakken stood up and walked towards the analyzer as though drunk or in a confused daze. When he looked down at the machine his face contorted with rage and he grabbed the device and tore it from the portal-array, then threw it at the wall as hard as he could.

"This piece of GARBAGE! If I'd never heard of this, this stupid THING none of this would have happened! Dammit, DAMMIT!" After an hour of kicking the machine into the wall, Drakken found that he no longer had the strength to stand and fell to his knees.

_Even I can see the irony in this. I didn't appreciate her enough, even though she was all I had… and now I don't even have THAT! …Shego is dead, my lab is in ruins, I have nothing… He he, I… I AM nothing… I've become on the outside what I've been on the inside the whole time…_

He almost hoped Kim Possible would break down his door and take him away. It would be a proper end to his humiliation.

With red eyes Drakken forced himself to look over at the behemoth that made him realize his iniquity.

_Its really quite funny_, Drakken thought. _Despite what this monster has done, and intended to do, I can't hate it. If it weren't for my plan I'd have never seen this undead wreck in the first place and Shego would still be…_ Something about that thought caught in Dr. Andrew Drakken Lipsky's mind.

_That thing… All my scans said that it was lacking in living biological function…_

_It was dead but not…_

_Undead…_

_Not dead…_

_Brought back from the dead… _

Drakkens eyes widened. Slowly he turned and looked over at Shego lying there on the ground. The human of him was damning himself for even considering that such an impossible thing could happen, but of course another part of him, the scientist, the dreamer that was never able to see his own limitations, he only saw infinite possibilities.

"If the monster was brought back from the dead, then studying it's body would probably show me how it happened. I would have the technology to control life itself and spit in Death's face! Maybe, I've been seeing this whole affair all wrong. This was my second chance at respect, and at having the power to rule this world!" Drakken looked at Shego's ruined body lying at his feet.

"And you will help me do it…"

Chapter 2: End


	3. Undead and Unstoppable

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 3: Undead and Unstoppable

Kim sighed as she reclined at her desk. She had just completed a test in world history (which took her all of ten minutes) and she had nothing to do with all her free time but zone out. Whenever this happened, her thoughts usually turned towards a certain green skinned villainess whether she wanted them to or not (usually not). It had been well over four months since she had seen either hide or hair of Shego or Drakken and as much as she hated to admit it she was worried.

Kim recalled her last encounter with the sable-haired thief with picture perfect clarity. The U.S. government had sent a request to her website regarding her assistance in protecting a new top-secret invention, the "Dimensional Quantum-Force Analyzer" until it could be securely shipped to some secret research facility in who-knows-where. While her employers weren't to keen on telling her what exactly the machine did, a quick secret scan of it with her kimmunicator was all it took for Wade to clear things up for her. Kim agreed that it was certainly a potentially dangerous toy, that much was obvious, but that aside, she didn't expect Drakken to respond to its existence as promptly as he did.

That very night Shego appeared like clock-work and took possession of the device. Kim thoughts returned to that night often since then due to the resounding failure on her part it represented.

( Flashback: Four Months Ago)

Kim had been standing guard for over three hours that day before she heard the silent alarm go off from outside the analyzers containment chamber. It was programmed to alert the security system the moment it had been removed from its support base. Kim wasted no time, quickly punched in her clearance code and ran into the room just in time to see a black boot slink back into the air duct.

_It's always an air duct…_

Kim immediately recognized the boots design considering she had been kicked by it dozens of times in the past, and was more then familiar with its owner.

"Shego…" Kim knew from checking the buildings blueprints earlier that day that Shego would likely exit the building from the roof, and that the labyrinthine layout of the air circulation system would give Kim more then enough time to intercept the thief before she could make her escape. She thought all this in the five minutes it took for her to sprint to the roof.

Kim skidded to a halt in front of the ventilation shaft and waited with her arms crossed and the most perturbed look on her face she could manage. Having stood in the same spot with no pay for hours was enough to make anyone cranky. She was just in time considering that her archrival showed herself a half-second later.

_It feels like a "Kimmie" kind of day… Yeah, I'll bet that's the first thing she'll call me when she sees me. _

Her inner monologue was interrupted as a gloved had wrapped in green flame melted its way through the ventilation shaft, followed closely by the cat-like figure of its owner. Shego looked up at Kim and blinked twice before placing the device on the ground next to her and standing. She met Kim's annoyed look with an equally cocky grin.

"What's the matter, Pumpkin, not happy to see me?"

_Dammit!_ Kim thought. _I was wrong again. _Kim glared daggers at the woman.

"Listen, Shego. Why don't we just cut out the middleman? I'm tired and you know what's going to happen now. We'll fight, I'll beat you, and you and Drakken will go to prison, then we'll start this cycle all over again." Kim smirked at the frown that formed on Shego's face. She hadn't liked that comment at all.

"Why don't we just skip all that this time and you can give up quietly?" _Not that I think you actually will._

Kim ducked as a kick as fast as a pit viper's strike flew at her temple.

"How's this for my answer, Princess!" Shego growled as the fight began. Kim blocked several flame-enforced punches, and jumped over a kick that was aimed to trip her up.

_All these fights I have with Shego never seem to make beating her any easier, _Kim thought as she delivered a punch aimed at Shego's midsection, which thief avoided by twisted around before it could connect. Kim had anticipated this ahead of time and met the woman with a kick aimed to dislocate her shoulder. Her foot connected but not at the angle she intended which greatly lessened the estimated impact.

Shego stepped back quickly and growled at the pain welling up in her numbed shoulder. When she charged Kim again, the cheerleader didn't anticipate the speed in which her opponent used which resulted in Shego knocking her feet out from under her so she landed hard on her shoulder blades.

_Ouch! I guess I better step things up_.

Kim had no time to however as Shego then ran over and grabbed the analyzer. Without missing a beat the thief made her way over to the edge to the roof while Kim flipped back to her feet. A moment before her intended decent, Shego turned to look at the redhead.

"Later, Pumpkin! I hope we play again soon!" Kim tried to run over and grab her before she could jump.

"SHEGO STOP!" but the green suited woman disappeared over the edge before she could get to her in time. When Kim looked over the edge, Shego had already vanished. That was the last time Kim saw her.

(Flashback: End)

Reflecting back on that day brought Kim bitter memories. It was her one major failure in her hero career. Wade had detected the analyzer's energy signature the next day but by the time Kim infiltrated Drakken's lair it was already abandoned except for the analyzer, which was in ruins imbedded against a wall. Kim grimaced when remembered the look on the military officer's face when she returned the analyzer's remains to him.

Something else about that lair had worried the cheerleader. The spikes of concrete all over the ground, and the lab equipment flung across the room to name a few things. However, the most disturbing thing of all was the trace amounts of blood she found on some of the spikes and floor that seemed as though it had been hastily (and poorly) wiped up. The army had made sure to quarantine the area before she could get a chance to find out whose blood it was or get a sample to Wade.

It was obvious that whatever Drakken had intended to do with the analyzer either didn't work or blew up all over his idiotic blue face. Aside from that it was the fate of her rival that was plaguing her thoughts as she sat in class.

Kim wasn't sure when it started, but for the last two and a half years Shego was usually the first thing on her mind. There was something about the woman's confidence and self-assuredness that Kim found almost magnetic. No matter what Shego did, be it crime, or recreation, or fashion the green skinned woman never settled for anything but perfection. Kim could easily relate to such a philosophy since it has been ingrained into her upbringing since she was born. For the most part though, Kim just chalked it up to mutual respect.

She had actually been disappointed in the villainess when she had found out about her Team Go days. Kim simply could not see why such a strong person would be so easily swayed by the promise of material gain, which didn't seem to suit her character at all. However, after spending some time with her brothers it became painfully obvious that it was even less within her character to associate with such losers on a daily basis. Her brothers were more caricatures than people, and Kim knew that had she been raised around them instead of Shego, she would probably have ended up a pretty warped mess herself.

Her thoughts of the woman were gratefully cut short when she heard the familiar beeping of her Kimmunicator. Kim was grateful for the interruption and quickly excused herself from the classroom and into the hallway.

"What's the stitch, Wade?" The face of her friend and Team Possible's tech-support, Wade Load appeared on screen. He had a vexed and confused look on her face.

"Hey, Kim. Your never gonna believe who just left a hit on your site." Kim blinked, and thought for a moment. Her clientele were usually pretty eccentric as a rule, but that was never cause for Wade to look so surprised. Kim decided to bite the bullet and just ask.

"Okay, I give, who?"

"Brace yourself for this Kim, it's Professor Dementor!" Wade said completely serious.

"No way!" Kim exclaimed. "It has to be some lame trap or something, you know that." Wade frowned and shook his head.

"I'm not sure about that Kim, he sent the site this video message and it has me a bit concerned." Wade punched several keys in and his image was replaced by the recording.

The familiar helmeted head of Professor Dementor appeared on screen. He appeared to be holding a portable camera up to his face from the way the image kept shaking. He was clearly very distressed as sweat was running down his face and his thickly accented voice was strained. He sounded like he was trying to whisper so that no one could hear him but the recorder and he kept looking around as though he were hiding.

"Kim Possible, you MUST save me!" He shouted into the camera. "She's been killing all of my men! None of my defenses have managed to slow her down at all! I've bought myself some time by running into this armored bunker but I doubt I can hide here for much longer. I think she's getting closer!" A sound like a heavy clanging erupted from the kimmunicators speakers and Dementor whipped around to see a large dent form on the bunkers blast-door. He shrieked in a surprisingly feminine way and quickly turned back to the camera.

"SHE'S AT THE DOOR!" he screamed. "You must come NOW, I-" He was cut off as the door behind him exploded with black flame. He looked as though he was about to scream again but then the screen turned to static and was once again replaced by Wade's face. Kim was admittedly shaken by the disturbing video.

"That's not all, Kim. I managed to get this from the recording a second before it cuts off. Bare in mind that even after putting this image through a filter and enlarging it it's still pretty hard to make out." The young genius typed in some more commands and a still image appeared on the screen. It was of a darkened silhouette standing in the center of the black explosion. It was obviously a woman from her curvaceous figure, but that aside the image was simply too fuzzy to glean anything else. Something about it made Kim feel uneasy.

"Any idea who that might be?" She asked. Wade sighed and shook his head.

"Nope, I cross-referenced her estimated physical dimensions into the database but it didn't register any matches."

"A new face, huh?"

"It seems so, so what are you going to do?" he asked. Kim thought about it.

_On the one hand it may still be a trap, albeit an overly complicated one. On top of that considering that the video was taken at least fifteen to twenty minutes ago, it's possible that even if it is true, the woman might not even be there anymore. I really have no idea how to handle this…_

"Kim?"

"Sorry, Wade I was just spacing. I guess it's worth checking out," She said as she came to the decision.

"You sure?" Wade asked, more then a little concerned. "I think this is a bit risky, even for you." Kim gave the boy a reassuring smile.

"Risk is part of the reason I got into this business." Kim said with confidence.

"All right, just be careful. I suppose I should arrange a ride for you." He said with a somewhat forced grin.

"Please and thank you. And Wade, your number one." Wade's grin turned more genuine, and he ended the connection.

_Okay, I'll go get Ron and we'll be off._ She thought running back towards her world history class. Her blond sidekick would undoubtedly still be stuck on the first page of the test since he claimed that studying was against his religion. Considering he was Jewish Kim wondered why he stuck with that particularly bad excuse. On her way there she silently hoped the bad feeling in her gut was from the burrito she got from Bueno Nacho the day before.

(An Hour Later)

Kim and Ron currently sat in the cargo container of a delivery plane as they made their way over the Arizona desert. According to the address of Dementor's video message that was the location of this particular lair. Ron was currently in the middle of an argument involving the validity on the sent video.

"-I'm telling you KP; there is no way that this will end well for either of us. Lets say that Dementor wasn't setting a trap for us. Then we might get eaten alive by some psycho Amazon monster!" Ron exclaimed getting (in Kim's opinion) very overly excited. "And if the tape's a lie then we might get eaten by giant mutant wiener-dogs instead." Ron shuddered at the memory. "Don't you see? This is a lose, lose situation!" Rufus' little body hopped out of Ron's pocket and added his two cents in his squeaky rodent voice.

"Lose, lose!"

Kim sighed and shook her head, having dealt with this argument throughout the entire ride.

"Listen, Ron. If you think this is so dangerous why did you agree to come with me?" Ron crossed his arms and looked at Kim as though she had a screw loose.

"Uh, Heloooo. This got me out of doing that evil history test, DUH!" He "tsked". "I swear, KP, sometimes you have no common sense at all."

Kim was a moment away from challenging that statement before the pilot's voice rang out over the loudspeaker.

"Miss Kim, were directly overhead the coordinates your li'l computer friend gave me."

"Thanks a bunch for this, Mr. Abrams!" Kim said brightly.

"Aww, shucks it's the least I could do after you delivered my wifes baby in the middle of that bank heist."

"It was so not the drama. Anyone could have dodged those bullets while making sure she kept up with her breathing." Kim smiled humbly while Ron opened the cargo doors. They wasted no time jumping into the freefall, towards Dementor's lair.

As they fell the two heroes (well three if one counted Rufus) noticed ominous plumes of black smoke rising from a large metal building partially hidden below the Arizona sand. Ron turned a skeptical eye towards Kim and shouted the words "Lose, lose situation!" at her. Kim rolled her eyes and pulled the cord for her parachute. Ron followed suit moments later.

When they landed they were roughly fifteen feet away from the lair's entrance. It was obvious that with it's sandy color and the fact that it was half buried, it would normally be impossible to spot from the air, however there must have been a fire inside of it considering all the smoke rising from within the facility. That would make it easy for anyone to spot for miles. Kim was beginning to think that it was unlikely this was staged for a mere ambush. Professor Dementor simply didn't work that way.

Ron gulped nervously and Rufus chattered his teeth as they followed Kim into the dark and dreary facility. The door (which Kim figured had to be at least a foot thick) looked to have been punched completely through, but Kim couldn't fathom who would have the strength for such a thing.

The sight of several dead and broken figures scattered throughout the hallway quickly greeted the three. Kim covered her mouth and Ron looked on wide-eyed as they came across body after mangled body. Rufus quickly hid inside Ron's pocket to escape the nightmarish scene. Some of the bodies looked as though there spines had been snapped, some were covered in burns, and one poor soul had had his head twisted 180 degrees around, his eyes locked in a perpetual expression of horror. Each was holding a firearm and there were bullet holes and scorch marks all over the walls.

"I think we figured out whether or not this is a trick." Ron exclaimed idly. Kim nodded absently and continued on. No one she's ever dealt with had ever done anything like this. She actually doubted a human being could do something this horrible. The more bodies they stepped past the more Kim began to feel like she was in over her head, and the greener Ron began to turn.

Eventually they ended up in front of what Kim had to have guessed was the bunker Dementor contacted her site from. The doorway was little more than hardened metal slag and there was no sound coming from inside. Kim was about to take a step into its darkened recesses but Ron grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her.

"Hey, Kim, you mind if I guard the door? Y'know…"He began to speak in a whisper. "In case anyone is still here…" Kim doubted that that was the real reason but she smiled and nodded. She didn't want to admit it but this place had her scared too.

"Thanks, KP. Just shout if you need my help." Ron grinned, to hide his obvious fear.

"Sure Ron, its no big." The teen hero then turned towards the dark portal and stepped inside. The lights were out so she was forced to take out her flashlight and move it around the room. At first all she saw was a smashed computer monitor and a broken web-cam along with a bunch of field rations scattered on the floor. Her eyes then focused upon a very familiar item that she had never seen separated from its owner; Dementor's helmet.

Cautiously, Kim reached down and picked up the helmet to inspect it but dropped the headgear and flashlight immediately when she saw what was beneath it and screamed. There was a blackened and charred skull underneath where the helmet lay sitting on top of a mound of ashes with bits of burned and fused fabric scattered among the pile. The fabric matched the color of Dementor's uniform.

Kim had found the Professor, or at least what was left of him. Ron quickly ran into the room holding his flashlight the moment he heard Kim's scream. His progress was abruptly halted when he saw something across the room. Kim had dropped her flashlight when she saw what lay beneath the helmet, and it currently was illuminating the darkened wall at the far end of the bunker.

Kim noticed that Ron's attention was fixed on that spot so she nervously looked up to see what had captured his notice. There were three words messily burned into the wall that had previously been hidden by the darkness of the chamber. As Kim read them she felt her blood turn to ice water.

All they said was, "Drakken was here".

Chapter 3: End


	4. The Devil in the Details

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 4: The Devil in the Details

Kim and Ron stared at the macabre message for well over a minute before either was willing to breach the smothering quiet that had settled within the bunker. Cautiously Kim took off her glove and reached towards the letters seared into the wall, placing her finger against the edge of the "D".

"It's gone cold. Whoever did this must have left well-over ten minutes ago." Ron looked up at her as though she were a simpleton.

"Whoever? It SAYS who did it right there!" He pointed. "Honestly, KP where would you ever be without me?" He asked shaking his head.

"Ron, listen. Why would someone kill all these people and then sign their NAME to it?" He shrugged.

"I dunno, pride?" Kim grit her teeth.

_After all the stupid horror movies he's seen, he thinks something dumb like that?_

"Ron, don't you think it's possible that someone **else** did this and their just trying to **frame** Drakken?" She exclaimed. "Doesn't that make any sense at all?" Ron scratched his head and thought about it for a moment.

"Nah, I got nuthin." Kim slapped her forehead and pulled out her kimmunicator, quickly pressed the call button. Wade appeared on screen a second later.

"Hey, Kim. Find anything?" Kim pointed the screen down so that it was facing Dementor's remains.

"Yeah, I found Dementor." She could hear Wade gasp. She looked back in the screen concerned.

"Wade, I need you to scan all these burn marks and tell me what caused them, and then I need you to see if anything else like this happened in the last few months.

"I'm on it, Kim!" Not a moment later the familiar green light of the scanner beam spread across the room before stopping.

"Scanning complete, just give me a second while I input this data into the system."

"Take your time, Wade." The screen went blank for a second before Wade showed up once again.

"Okay, well I know what this **wasn't**… This was not any kind of flame-thrower or bomb. There is no trace of any accelerants or shrapnel in the area. Not only that, but the heat required to burst that blast door must have been much hotter than anything I've ever seen in terms of personal weapons." A disturbing thought then occurred to Kim that she was almost afraid to ask; one person she could think of never needed a flame-thrower or bombs to melt metal. With Shego's powers she could have easily done such a thing. However, Kim simply couldn't imagine the green woman ever killing anyone. It just wasn't something Kim believed the thief was capable of. Either way, she felt it was her duty to bring it up.

"What about, Shego? She has that weird green fire power and that doesn't leave any physical trace." Wade shook his head.

"It's also nowhere near hot enough. She may have been able to get through those doors given enough time, but not as quickly as we saw on the recording." Kim hated to admit it, but she felt relieved to hear that.

"I'll look into it though. I guess I should contact the authorities and arrange a ride for you and Ron back to Middleton."

"Please and thank you. You're the best Wade"

"I know I am. See yah." He cut the transmission. The two found that exiting the darkened lair was much easier than first entering it. Now they both knew what to expect and consciously made a habit of avoiding looking down at the corpses. It made things a great deal easier. To get their mind off the stench of burned flesh that polluted the dark hallways, the two heroes tried to figure out who the assailant might be.

"Monkey Fist?" Ron asked automatically. Kim shook her head.

"No monkey calling card that I can see and I can't imagine him avoiding the urge to add one." Ron frowned and thought again.

"DNAmy? I bet she could make a monster with crazy fire-breath." Kim shook her head again. She was about to say that no cuddle-buddy would do such a thing but stopped before she had a chance to embarrassed herself.

"She… um, just wouldn't do that. Besides I saw a woman's figure in the image, and Amy would never kill anyone." Ron smiled humorlessly.

"Yeah, she would just fuse your vice principal with your best friend…" Rufus stuck his head out and gave his opinion of that horrible experience.

"Yuck".

Kim smiled and then something occurred to her. "Hey, I got an idea, what about the Killer Bebes?"

Ron scratched his head," I thought we scrapped um all." Kim shrugged.

"Well, I can see them killing people, and they fit the build."

Ron thought about it. "Its as good a possibility as I can think of although I can't see why they'd blame anyone else, they tended to be pretty direct."

Kim shrugged. Drakken's rogue robots were not known for their deception, but if some survived, then she could imagine them having enough time to work on that aspect of them. Also, they would probably see other villains like Dementor as competition for their "perfect" rule. Kim was about to call Wade to ask him to look into it, but she was surprised when she received a call from him first.

"Wade? What's the stitch?"

"Hey, Kim! Guess what, I just got a report that a mysterious woman in black is attacking the Cromwell Research Institute as we speak!" Wade excitedly exclaimed, "It's only two and a half miles away from where you are. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That whoever killed Dementor had a second stop scheduled?"

"Exactly! I'm already arranging a ride for you. Mr. Xiang from that oilrig incident is coming towards you via a helicopter. He should be there in ten minutes."

"Thanks, Wade. I'll contact you when we get there." Wade cleared his throat and looked like he had something else on his mind.

"Wade?"

"It's just… please be careful Kim. We don't know what this woman is packing."

Kim smiled reassuringly. "I will, and Wade, thanks for your concern." She cut the connection and looked up at Ron. "Ron, you get all that?" He nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

"Were gonna deal with Torchy, right? No problemo, KP. I bet she's not so tough."

Kim looked off into the cloudless distance and saw an approaching black speck that she figured must be Mr. Xiang.

_I certainly hope so…_

(The Cromwell Research Institute)

The woman known as Mayhem slowly made her way through the Cromwell Institutes main research lab dispatching any and all resistance she came across with a grim finality. If one didn't include all of the simulator missions she trained in before hand, then this was technically her first real assignment working for the Doctor. Her instructions were simple; after dealing with the man in the helmet, she was to make her way of foot to the Institute and steal one of their new and untested power converters. Mayhem fulfilled these instructions without question as she searched the lab from room to room.

Two military personnel jumped out from behind a toppled table they were using to conceal themselves and began to pelt her with dozens of rounds from their assault rifles. She didn't bother wasting the energy required to evade their shots and paid the bullets little mind as they ricochet harmlessly off her defense field. About a month ago when the Doctor deployed her on her first training mission, Mayhem was still unaware of what her capabilities were and as a result made several of what she considered rookie level mistakes. For example, she was completely unaware that her barrier field had a threshold so she was caught completely by surprise when it was breached and she was pelted all over by a gale of bullets. She panicked and jumped behind cover until her field was ready to come back online again. The bruises those bullets left behind was the first pain that she had felt since her regenesis. In a way she liked the sensation it brought, as fleeting as it was. It made her feel as though she were still alive. The two soldiers who stood before her now were less then capable of even getting through her barrier, and even if they did she doubted that that caliber of round would leave any more then a scratch upon her skin.

The two soldiers were backed against the far wall when they realized there was no more room to retreat. It was then that Mayhem chose to strike. She rushed forward faster then either men could register and delivered a stone shattering punch to both of their throats crushing their windpipes effortlessly and watching them fall to there knees as there faces turned blue from asphyxiation. As with most living things, they inevitably surrendered to the cold grip of death.

_Not like me…_

Mayhem didn't feel a thing when she killed the two men. Who cared if they were dead now? She was too, after all. Death just didn't mean the same thing to her that it used too. However, that evil little voice in the back of her thoughts never stopped pestering her. It would say things like; "**_You never used to do things like this_**" or "**_How much longer do you intend to kill people for that man_**?" and lastly, "**_Why do you even listen to him_**?" It was that repetitive last question that caused her the most grief.

Mayhem was unable to recall much of anything regarding her past life. According to the Doctor, it was due to necrosis of her brain tissue after death. Of the few random things that she could actually recall, they were usually out of order or fuzzy and distorted leaving her more confused than she already was. All she knew for sure is that she was once alive and now she was not. It only made sense to her that she should listen to the man who claimed to have known her and brought her back from the grave.

Two more soldiers burst out in front of her but this time, Mayhem was in no mood to waste anymore time and quickly sent a twin waves of black flame in their direction. In little less then a second their bodies almost completely vaporized under the extreme heat produced by the dangerous woman's hands. They didn't even manage to fire a single shot. Mayhem felt their ashes fall around her as she pushed past where the men once stood. At times like this, she wondered where she got such power, and on top of that she wondered what kind of person she used to be. The farthest back she could clearly remember however was her regenesis back into the land of the living.

(Flashback: Three Months Ago)

When Mayhem first came to awareness, she was lying naked on top of a steel table. In the beginning she was unable to so much as open her eyes. Her lids felt heavy and stiff from disuse, and her whole body felt cold and numb. Slowly and after a great deal of concentration she managed to open her eyes to the light. As blinding as that light was she neither blinked nor flinched, as it didn't hurt at all. She began to feel an uncomfortable prickling sensation make its way down her body, and slowly managed to ease her self up into a sitting position. Her motions were stiff and stilted and her body didn't seem to respond in synch with her commands. She crooked her head down to assess her strange and unfamiliar body.

Her skin was a dark olive green with a thick jagged crack-like scar circling her midsection. Her limbs were long and she was apparently fit as the muscles were noticeably pronounced. When she lifted her right hand to trace the scar, she saw that her nails were at least two-inch long, jet-black claws. She reached up and felt her face and hair. She wasn't able to tell much from her face aside from the fact that she had one, but regarding her hair, it seemed relatively short, except for the bangs, which were bone-white and longer on her right side.

She lowered her hand in front of her face and took in its shape, trying to reorient herself with her unfamiliar frame. She made a fist and could actually hear her stiff muscles strain and tighten in ways they had not in who-knew-how-long. It was then that she decided to look around the room and immediately saw that she had been watched the entire time.

The man who stood in front of her was of average height, wearing a dark-gray uniform, with tight black rubber gloves. His face was a curious light-blue color with his black hair tied back in a short ponytail and a curved scar angling beneath his right eye. Something about the man was very familiar. The blue man looked her over with an expression of wide-eyed excitement and quickly ran up to her and grabbed her left hand up in his kneeling at her side. The fact that her nudity should have made them both uncomfortable never occurred to either of them.

"IT WORKED!" he shouted proudly. "I truly AM a genius." He laughed for a minute then began to look her over to see if anything was amiss. He must have been someone she knew but for the life of her, she could not recall whom. Her mind was a blank. It was around then that she realized something else that she found equally vexing.

_What is…who am I?_

Her thoughts were as slow and sluggish as her body, but she did her best to go back into her memory and search for the answers she sought. She managed a memory of standing with four other boys who she seemed to know. They were all hanging out in what appeared to be a ramshackle wooden tree house. She looked out the window and saw a ball of iridescent light come rushing down to meet them. She also remembered arguing with the blue man who stood next to her over some kind of robot bug. Most of all she saw her self, ducking punches aimed to harm her, but she wasn't able to recall the face of her assailant aside from a blur of red. The last memory she managed was of a towering evil standing over her with malevolent intent. It was a memory that inspired a choking fear deep inside her psyche. She looked over at the blue man and decided do the simple thing and just ask.

"You… who are… y-you…" Her voice was horse and had a strange rasp to it that came from deep within her throat." The man looked up as though startled.

"Who am I? Don't you recognize me?" She shook her head honestly. The blue man stood up and rather than answer any of her questions he instead rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. After a moment his eyes lit up and he turned away from her.

"I see! She was left in cold storage for over a month before I managed to finish getting the materials I needed to repair her body. Of course she would suffer from _some_ degree of necrosis. Her brain must be making quite a struggle to repair all of its cell damage and recover her lost memories…" Normally being ignored like that would have made her angry, but currently she was simply too out of sorts to take offence (even though he was speaking of her as though she were an object). After obviously reaffirming his own genius, he turned and faced her in all seriousness.

"Do you know your name?" She shook her head since it was currently easier than speaking.

"What about what happened to you, do you remember that?" Again her response was negative. He frowned and turned away from her again while mumbling to himself. She wasn't sure if he realized she could hear him or if he even cared.

"I suppose this actually works to my advantage! Maybe this will make the unknown factors involved in my plan easier to control. Either way I must work quickly." He turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder and one on his chest in a failing attempt to seem personable.

"My name is Dr. Drakken. I am an… old friend of yours who you've worked with for several years. I am also a GENIUS inventor by the way." The woman nodded, having little else to say on the matter.

"And… me?"

Your name is She- wait…" He frowned and shook his head. "That's not your name. That name belonged to a living breathing human woman, not some altered and reanimated corpse…" Hearing that made her frown as well.

"Corpse? …I'm- I'm not a corpse…" Of that she was sure.

_A corpse is something dead. I'm not dead, I can move around and everything, I can even think. _However, even in her mind the words sounded uncomforting and hollow. The Doctor shook his head and sighed.

"Try to feel for your heartbeat." She complied and raised her right hand, placing it over her chest. Three minutes went by and she felt nothing but ice-cold flesh. She pulled her hand away quickly to relieve herself of the sensation. After a moment she realized another equally alarming aspect of herself. Ever since she had woken up, she had yet to taken a single breath. That was one of the reasons why her speech sounded so stilted. One needed to take in air to speak, and that was a function her body seemed to no longer require.

"Do you understand now? I've brought you back from the dead, but you aren't what most would consider alive. You will need a new name for your new existence as the old one has fallen into disuse…" He thought on it and smiled. She didn't like how cold the expression appeared.

"Mayhem. That will suit you nicely considering that that is your new purpose."

"M- Mayhem?" She certainly didn't like the sound of it but for now she lacked the energy to voice a complaint.

"That's right, Mayhem. It has a… **pleasant** ring to it, don't you agree?" He crossed his arms, and for the first time she noticed how small his hands were.

"Well, Mayhem, are you ready to help me rule this world?"

(Flashback: End)

So lost in her reverie, Mayhem failed to notice a soldier sneak in from behind her and launch a rocket-propelled grenade straight into her right shoulder. She barely had time to form a thought before the explosion sent her through the wall and back outside into the Arizona desert. The sharp pain in her shoulder alerted her into looking over and assessing the damage the explosion caused. She saw that her right shoulder was a ruined mess and her now-severed arm had landed on the ground in front of her twitching sporadically, On a much lesser note, the hood of her cape had been knocked down. The Doctor's orders were very specific on the subject of not allowing anyone to see her face until the "unveiling". Ignoring her arm for now, she shot to her feet and closed the gap between herself and her soon-to-be-dead assailant (after all, he probably saw her face and she simply couldn't allow that). His last sight was of the heel her right boot delivering a kick that imbedded his face five inches deep within the concrete wall of the hallway.

_Dammit, that hurts…_She thought as she covered the open wound of her shoulder with her right hand to see to it that as little blood as possible escaped. Blood was her Achilles Heel after all. It was currently beyond Mayhem's notice that she had yet to pull her hood back over her head.

The dead woman walked over to where her right arm landed among the dirt and gravel. She quickly released her shoulder and wasted no time picking up her stray limb and aligning it against the ruined stump that the appendage used to connect to. Upon initial contact steam began to rise from the wound as her cells rapidly knit the torn flesh back together into one. She was partly surprised that it actually worked, despite the Doctor's instructions as to what to do should this scenario occur. After a minute the repair process was complete and slowly feeling returned to the reattached limb. Mayhem flexed her fingers experimentally until she was satisfied.

_There, all better. Now to get back to getting that power converter…_

Mayhem was about to step back into the building and renew her mission when the sound of an approaching helicopter distracted her. A figure fell from the sky and landed soundlessly and gracefully before her. Mayhem automatically took on a fighting stance when her eyes met the red hair, but she quickly stopped when she realized what exactly she was doing. It was as if her body remembered the girl when her mind did not. A moment later a blond boy also fell from the sky but he landed flat on his face rather then like the girl and Mayhem paid him little mind. She then noticed the young redheaded teen was looking at her with wide-eyed surprise and shock.

"Shego?"

Chapter 4: End


	5. Revelation and Desperation

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 5: Revelation and Desperation

"Shego?"

The words escaped Kim's lips before she even had a chance to think. However, the woman who stood before her now couldn't possibly have been the green woman. Her eyes kept trying to inform the girl of that truth, but regardless, the cheerleader's every instinct was telling her that the super-powered thief stood before her now.

The woman in question was taller then Shego was by at least three inches, and her body's muscles were slightly more pronounced. Shego's skin had been she palest shade of green that likely existed; however this woman's skin was a dark olive. Her hair was cropped short with the exception of her bangs, which were longer on her right side. Her hair color was off-white rather than the familiar dark flowing sable. Instead of those beautiful emerald eyes this woman's were pure-white with beady pupils encircled by two black rings. Lastly, around her exposed midriff was a thick jagged ring of scar tissue that seemed to encircle her entire waist.

However, for Kim the dissimilarities stopped there. The woman's hips, waist, breasts, and overall build were identical to Shego along with the dark woman's facial structure and lips, which were the same as always, full, and dark. If this wasn't Shego than it was definitely a close relative. Even her clothes were nearly the same; she wore a tight two-piece jumpsuit of clashing green and black with minor modifications, a new pair of clawed gloves with gold metal tips, armored boots, and a heavy hooded black cloak. There could be no mistake; it had to be Shego.

As the woman looked Kim over, Kim noticed an expression of mild distress form across her darkened face. It was strange because it was almost as if looking at Kim was causing her some kind of pain or emotional distress. She kept looking the cheerleader over and as she did her eyes widened.

"Shego, is that you?"

When Kim had first arrived, she remembered that the woman fell in to the exact same combat stance Kim recognized from over a hundred past bouts but not a moment later she moved away from the stance and stood. It seemed like she acted out of pure instinct.

Kim was surprised as the woman shook her head as though in denial or horror, and grabbed the side of her head in both hands. Her eyes were shut tight, and Kim saw her lips form words but she was too quiet for Kim to hear. Those familiar dark lips then pulled back in what appeared to be a grimace of pain, revealing sharp elongated canines.

_That __**is**__ Shego!_

"Shego, what happened to you?"

Ron stood up by Kim's side and rubbed the angry red welt that was swelling on his forehead. He looked up at the mysterious woman before frowning in confusion.

"Uh, KP, why do you keep calling her, Shego? I mean look at her, she's got shark teeth!"

The woman squeezed her eyes shut growling, which was a strange metallic rasping sound. Thin cuts formed along the skin of her face where her claws were digging in. Concerned, Kim took a step towards the woman.

"Shego, are you-"

"KEEP **AWAY** FROM ME!" The woman roared and with a wave of her arm sent a wave of ebony inferno towards Kim and Ron's position. The size and color of the flame nearly froze Kim in place, but her instincts took hold and she grabbed Ron and dived to the side narrowly avoiding being cooked alive.

_That would have killed us!_

Kim had taken her share of blows from Shego power in the past and it was never fun, usually leaving burns and dark bruises whenever it connected not to mention sending her into walls and other painful objects. There were times however that Kim was glad Shego had those powers since it forced Kim to up her game and be quicker. Now was definitely **not** one of those times.

_I don't have time for this! I've got to worry about me and Ron before I worry about her!_

"Wow!" Ron exclaimed referring back to the black flame." That would have been so cool if it wasn't about to spell our ultimate doom!" And then he said the wrong thing. "Maybe she really **is** Shego…"

The woman looked up sharply and her eyes focused on the young man. A furious expression twisted across her face.

"MY. NAME. IS. **MAYHEM**!!!"

She rushed forward with her gleaming claws ready and willing to tear the top of the young man's head off, but in a surprising burst of speed, Kim managed to duck under the woman's strike, grab her arm, pivot her weight around and throw the woman as hard as she could. Kim was honestly surprised that she managed to do that under that kind of pressure.

Gracefully, the dark woman identified as "Mayhem" managed to twist around and land on her feet. She looked at the redhead and charged with both claws ready to tear into the young girl. Kim barely managed to duck away from the strikes and jumped backwards to allow her some legroom. The woman's claws left gold streaks as they cut through the air. Mayhem was certainly faster than Shego that much was obvious, and stronger too for that matter. However, her movements were entirely uncoordinated, as though she wasn't putting any thought into her actions.

Out of the blue, Kim went on the offensive and spun in for a powerful roundhouse kick aimed to take Mayhem out of the fight as quickly as possible. The cheerleader was surprised when Mayhem didn't bother to counter or dodge the kick at all. A moment to late Kim realized why. Her foot made contact with a hard red barrier that erected just inches from the Mayhem's face, stopping Kim's kick entirely. Mayhem struck out and grabbed Kim's leg lifting her up by it and flinging her into the research facilities wall.

Kim coughed as the wind was knocked from her lungs, but quickly managed to duck under a clawed hand as it rushed forward to meet her head. The cacophony of smashed gravel filled the air. When Kim looked up, she saw Mayhem's hand imbedded deep in the wall where her head used to be. Wasting no time, Kim jumped forward and tackled the woman, throwing her off balance and sending her into the ground.

"Yeah, way to go, KP!" Ron exclaimed from the side, having found no other way to lend himself to his friend's aid.

Mayhem snarled and both of her hands lit up in that same black flame as before.

_Uh oh, if even one of those hits connects with me I'm as good as dead!_

Kim ducked and weaved away from every strike thrown at her, occasionally delivering useless attacks from her end to try and slow Mayhem down as best she could. The most Kim was able to manage was to throw the dark-woman's attacks off balance since it seemed impossible to actually hurt the berserk woman. There appeared to be a look of manic desperation in her eyes as she struck.

_What's wrong with her? I've never seen Shego like this, and when did she get so __**strong**_

Kim was so distracted by the look in her opponent's eyes that she wasn't fast enough to avoid the blow aimed to take her arm off. It barely glanced her, but the flames and claws lefts a deep seared gash across her left shoulder, the blinding pain knocking Kim off balance and sending her to the ground. The dark shadow of Mayhem looked down at her in a rage.

_Oh no! _Kim thought realizing that she was in a completely compromised position. The pain in her left arm was making the entire limb numb and useless. Even if she got up the dead weight would only serve to throw her off balance during the rest of the fight, which was something she simply could not afford against such a skilled opponent.

Mayhem reached down and tightly wrapped her right hand around Kim's throat, lifting her up in the air. Kim released a gargled and choked breath, as her airways were twisted shut. Soon Mayhem lifted her left arm to join her right around the young woman's throat. Kim could see her vision blur, as her brain was cutoff from precious oxygen.

_Why is she doing this? What could have happened to her? This doesn't make sense; none of this makes any sense!_

As her consciousness began to leave her she could vaguely see Ron and Rufus jump on Mayhem's back. Ron was in a panic trying to choke her into releasing Kim, while Rufus was trying unsuccessfully to bite through Mayhem's wrist but finding himself be utterly unsuccessful with chewing through her barrier.

…_Her hands are so cold, and her eyes seem so full of hurt…_

A moment before Kim lost consciousness she uttered her assailant's name as she remembered it to be.

"Sh-Shego…"

Without warning, Mayhem's grip suddenly released and she backed away covering her mouth in horror. Her eyes were wide with shock as Kim coughed deeply and took in blessed oxygen. Kim looked up and saw what seemed to be clarity for the first time in Mayhem's eyes. Ron and Rufus let go of the woman and ran to their friend's side, but Kim was deaf to his words as she and Mayhem made eye contact.

"Pumpkin! I'm sorry I- **ARGH**!!!" Mayhem grabbed her head and roared, taking two steps backwards. Kim tried to tell her to stop, but her voice was horse from the abuse and couldn't manage a single word.

Mayhem lifted her hand and a ball of black fire formed in the palm. She threw it to the ground and it burst, filling the area with blinding black light and causing Kim and Ron to shield their eyes in pain. When the light faded, Mayhem was nowhere to be found.

(Drakken's Lair: Three hours later)

Mayhem stalked forward towards the Doctor's lair with her mind in utter chaos. The girl, the one the idiot had called, "Kim", her appearance unleashed a pain within herself that she could feel wrench apart the shriveled black heart sitting useless inside her chest. The pain from that rocket-propelled grenade was absolutely nothing compared to seeing that young girl, and experiencing the feelings that she inspired; sadness, hate, rage, happiness, euphoria, loss, joy, depression, and a thousand other feelings that have no names.

_And every time she would say… that name. I felt like a lance of ice would stab into my brain! Who is she? __**WHO THE HELL IS SHE?**__ And why did I say that to her? Why did I call her Pumpkin or even care if she was all right? She heard my voice, saw my face; I was under strict orders to kill anyone who saw me, no exceptions… I didn't even get the Doctor's power converter…He's going to be so angry with me…_

Mayhem shuddered when she remembered the last time the Doctor was cross with her.

(Flashback: Two and a Half Months Ago)

Mayhem wasn't sure as to the exact cause but for the last day or so she had begun to feel unbearably stiff, and sore. Her body felt as though it was beginning to paralyze up starting with her spine and making its way out. It had been just over a week since her regenesis and she had been having trouble adjusting to the changes that being brought back to life caused her, much to the Doctor's obvious dismay.

Originally when Dr. Drakken first informed her that he had plans for world conquest she had a great deal of poorly hidden skepticism, despite his obvious enthusiasm for the subject. The blue scientist wasted no time showing Mayhem around his lair, and specifically showed her the training room, which he claimed she would soon become very familiar with. She hadn't actually agreed to help him, however Mayhem felt she owed the man and decided to hear him out. After all, she would not be standing there had it not been for his efforts (although, sometimes Mayhem thought she should hate the man for that very reason). She soon found that the choice as to whether or not to assist him was never hers to make.

On the first day, to offset her state of undress, the Doctor gave her a green and black outfit to wear that Mayhem found strangely comfortable and appealing. She assumed green and black were probably her favorite colors and gave it little more thought. She was curious as to why the midriff was missing and when she asked the Doctor his answer did little to alleviate her curiosity.

"Its so I don't forget my mistakes," was all he was willing to say on the matter.

Mayhem guessed it had something to do with her scar but then again, maybe there was a practical reason for it too, like why he said her hair had to have been cut in such an unusual style. On that sore subject the Doctor claimed he simply didn't feel the need to wash out the dried blood and cut the worst parts off. She had been upset about that excuse finding it lazy but didn't voice her feelings. However, she secretly hoped that her hair would be able to grow back out again.

When Doctor Drakken first put Mayhem through the combat simulator, she had been remarkably bad in his opinion. Her movements were slow, and her body lagged behind the commands her brain sent out. The Doctor was very upset about that, and even when she began to show improvement it was not at a pace that he deemed acceptable.

When not in a simulator, Mayhem was tested and studied using all kinds of machines and experiments. The blue inventor spent three days alone trying to understand why her mysterious fire ability was black, even though he ignored her when she inquired as to what color it used to be. He considered such inquisitions to be counter productive and frivolous. In Mayhem's opinion however, she began to feel that he was attempting to control what she did and didn't know.

It grated on Mayhem's patience that she was being tiptoed around everything she wanted to know about herself and her past life. As with most people in her situation she began to become defiant towards the Doctor's wishes. She would refuse to train or cooperate with his experiments. This did not produce the desired result however. Rather then become more forthcoming like Mayhem hoped, the Doctor would only insult and ignore her.

Almost as though to spit in her attempts towards independence, now there was this strange and terrible pain blossoming within her body that was only getting worse by the minute. After roughly ten minutes of silent debate she finally decided to confront the Doctor about it. When she approached him he turned to her and presented her with a smarmy grin.

"What do you expect **me** to do about it? If you choose to be useless, then I've little reason to assist you, you understand." Mayhem was amazed that a grown man could be so petty.

She was about to say that very thing but a surge of stiff discomfort silenced her. The pain was beginning to blur her vision and her movements were becoming slow and stilted, almost as though her muscles were beginning to turn too plastic. The Doctor noticed all this and merely smiled.

"What you are currently feeling, Mayhem, is known as _rigor mortis_, are you familiar with the term? You are dieing all over again as the blood circulating throughout your veins dries up and goes bad. There are almost a dozen scientific reasons as to why this is currently happening to you but lets simplify things by simply saying that the pain will be **quite** excruciating." He crossed his arms and looked at her with not an ounce of warmth in his eyes.

The pain pulled Mayhem to her knees and she hugged her arms around herself as she felt her organs tighten. A disgusting twisting and tightening sound coming straight through her skin accompanied every movement she made. She looked up at the Doctor, desperate to use his power to end her pain.

"P-please… help m-me!" Her voice was a squeak barely above a whisper as her vocal cords seized up. He looked down at her and said nothing as if waiting for something. After a few agonizing seconds of thought she understood what he waited for. He wanted her to prostrate her self before him.

"I-I will, d-do what you say, fr-from n-n-n-" she was barely able to vocalize the last words as a seizure of pain rocked through her. The doctor cupped a hand around his ear in a mocking attempt to hear her.

"I'm waiting, Mayhem."

She grit her teeth in utter humiliation and gathered all the energy that remained within herself as best she could.

**"I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY FROM NOW ON!!"**

Mayhem then fell to her side utterly physically and mentally exhausted. She wasn't even able to look up and see if he was going to help her. Soon however she felt his arms wrap around her waist and begin pulling her towards the only locked room in the lab. He told her many times that it was off limits without his supervision and was kept to busy to investigate it on her own. She heard him press in a few keys before the door opened. Mayhem made a point of memorizing the touchtone of the keys for future reference.

The doctor placed Mayhem on some kind of metal throne in the cramped chamber and forced her into a sitting position. Her arms were positioned on each armrest and her head was propped up which thankfully allowed her to look around the room. It was lit by red light and aside from the chair she was in the only other piece of furniture was the computer console along the side of the wall that Drakken was busy working on. The doctor typed several commands into the keyboard before pressing the "enter" key.

"Now pay attention, Mayhem. You'll become very familiar with this process." He smirked, "Your unlife depends on it."

A restraint closed around both wrists, ankles and around her neck holding her tightly in place. Mayhem found that to be somewhat excessive considering she was currently paralyzed. It was then that she began to experience a new pain. Two needles retracted from within each restraint and slowly drilled their way through her Kevlar-like skin and directly into her arteries.

Immediately after two metal shelves retracted out of either side of the chair. On the left side was row after row of what appeared to be ordinary empty glass containers. The right side self however was the exact opposite. The glass containers along that shelf were filled with a very familiar red liquid. The chair then began to hum and a pushing and pulling sensation occurred along the needles currently sticking into her limbs and neck. Mayhem looked over at the empty containers to her left as they began to fill with what she guessed was coagulated black blood. The blood containers on the right side began to empty the fresh blood into her as the left side containers filled. Very soon the pain pulsing within her began to fade away to oblivion.

"Do you see, Mayhem? You can't operate the system from the transfusion chair, only I can, and I choose when to do so. So you had best learn your place." She felt a burning anger begin to twist within her.

_So, I'm to be little more then a slave I see…this is the only path open to me anymore._

"Without blood, you're the same as any dead body, remember that."

She looked away, ashamed at herself for allowing anyone to have such a hold over her. "I will do as you wish… Doctor Drakken."

(Flashback: End)

The doctor had left her on the verge of death many other times since than, always waiting until the very last minute to give her the transfusion that would buy her one more week of "life". Even when she was obedient Drakken would torture her in this way for getting a lower ranking on a simulator than he had considered acceptable. He called it "needed incentive". For failing to get the power converter and allowing that girl, Kim to see her face she couldn't even imagine what he intended to enact as repercussion.

The Doctor wasted no time before rushing out to meet her, with a panicked look across his blue face. He grabbed her by both shoulder and looked her in the eye.

"Mayhem, what happened? Your vitals were going out of control about three hours ago. Were you experiencing some kind of functional disorder? ARGH, you didn't lose too much blood on your mission did you, was that it? Were you too careless? Type O is expensive you know!" He then frowned and looked her over.

"Mayhem…" She turned away from him so he couldn't see her shame. "Mayhem, where is the power converter?"

"I'm sorry doctor… I wasn't able to obtain it."

"WHAT?" Mayhem flinched at his aggravated tone.

"I managed to execute the man with the helmet as per your instructions, and I proceeded to the facility, however…" She had trouble thinking back on the young girl. Even now her image caused her heart (or what remained of it) to ache terribly. There was no way she could tell a man like Drakken such a personal thing.

"However, what?" His voice was cold, like he was already thinking of the worst way he could imagine to discipline her.

"A- a young woman interfered, sir."

His eyes snapped open and he took a step back.

"**Dammit**, did she see you? Wait of course she did. There is no way Kim Possible avoided getting a look at your face. How in the world did she beat you? Your virtually invincible!" She ignored him as a warm sensation spread down her chest when the Doctor spoke the young woman's full name.

_Kim Possible. Oh yes, I definitely know that name…_

Mayhem thought of the best way she could answer his question without incriminating herself. She decided to go with the simplest explanation she could manage.

"It's as you say sir. I experienced a functional disorder. I needed to retreat and reacquire my bearings. If I did not, I may have been defeated." In Mayhem's opinion she wasn't lying. Being around Kim did seem to make it difficult for her to function.

"Gah! Now I'll have to increase speed to all of my timetables." He whined. That whining was what Mayhem found the most difficult for her to tolerate. When she saw his eyes widen and a grin formed across his face her heart began to sink. "Or I can just skip ahead to the best part."

"Doctor?"

"I want you to go to where Kim Possible is in Middleton and bring her to me at once, alive." His tone brooked no further discussion. Mayhem lowered her head so her hair obscured her expression. It would do her know favors for the doctor to see how his order affected her. However, Mayhem understood that she really had only one path open to her now.

"Understood, Doctor."

Chapter 5: End


	6. Hell is Other People

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 6: Hell is Other People

Kim sat down in the seat provided and reluctantly looked up into the single eye of Doctor Betty Director, the head of the worldwide espionage organization Global Justice, and one didn't need to be a genius to see that the woman was far from pleased. Kim could guess as to why, as well. Team Possible had been found injured in the center of what the papers were likely to refer to as the "Cromwell Facility Massacre" and was retrieved for questioning by GJ. When Last Kim heard, there had been fifteen dead researchers, twenty dead security officers, and one dead Global Justice undercover operative, and one injured; Kim Possible.

Apparently, GJ had made it a point to sneak an undercover agent into the facility under the alias of a scientist in order to oversee the Power Converters construction, and to make sure that no one made an attempt on it, which of course someone had. When GJ finally arrived at the destroyed facility they didn't find their agent, but they did find a black ashen smear along one of the walls with half of his nametag melted among with the mess. It wasn't often that GJ lost an agent and they were deadly serious about how to deal with such matters. The reason Kim had been brought before Dr. Director was because Ron, and she were the only ones to get a look at the assailant. Ron was with Agent Du while Kim was with Dr. Director. The one eyed woman explained all of this to Kim in a deadly calm tone.

While Dr. Director was fond of the young hero in most instances and admired her skills and accomplishments, this situation involved an actual catastrophe; a smear on Global Justice's reputation. The issue at hand was that the redhead was not being completely forthcoming which warranted Dr. Director's harsh interrogation.

"Lets go over this again." Dr. director said tersely and began to pace back and forth around her office, being sure to always keep her good side facing Kim.

"You went to Cromwell because you heard it was being attacked, via Wade, and assumed the assailant was the same who killed the man known as Professor Dementor, and his small **army** of fully armed mercenaries found to have been hired by Jack Hench only a half hour before. You then got a ride to the facility from a Mr. Xiang via helicopter and arrived roughly five minutes later in order to stop and capture the assailant who you confronted immediately upon arrival." She stopped in front of her desk about a foot away from Kim and reclined back slightly. Her eye narrowed into a slit as she studied the girls face. Kim fought valiantly to keep sweat from forming on her forehead.

"You describe the assailant as a woman, roughly six feet tall, wearing a dark black cloak that obscured her face, a green and black uniform, and clawed gloves. You say her hair is white, and her skin is dark green. She was equipped with a force field of some kind, her outfit was armored, and she fought with some kind of **black** flame weapon." Her upper lip pulled back slightly.

"However, you claim she wasn't Shego. Despite all of the physical similarities, the build, the sex, the power, the efficiency, and the words; "Drakken was here" burned into Dementor's wall directly above his charred remains. You insist the woman was **not** Shego…" Kim nodded, gratefully accepting the option but winced when Director's fist slammed into the surface of her desk.

"Do you think I'm **stupid**? It's obvious you and I both know who it was. Shego is the only person in our database that can do anything like what we found at the scene." Kim glared but the expression looked weak when compared to the ferocious look in Dr. Director's eye.

_Shego would never kill anyone ever; I know that for a fact. I don't know why she looks different or why she's so much stronger but I'm guessing Drakken is using another one of those awful mind control chips to make her do those things. It would make plenty of sense considering that she seemed so totally messed up during our fight. If I'm right I wont let her take the rap for those deaths because it wasn't her fault at all. Drakken's really bit off more then he can chew this time though, and I'll make sure that he becomes painfully aware of that fact. Until then I'll just keep my cool and stick to my guns._

"I told you the whole stitch. That's what happened, Doctor." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Okay, lets go over one more thing… Why did you say she left again? You said she bailed on the fight right when she was about to win, and ran off. Is that right? Did I miss anything?"

Kim shook her head, "Nope, you got it all. I guess she figured she had taken too much time fighting me and knew you were on your way." The director of GJ stared at her with an expression Kim couldn't read before the older woman walked around her desk to her computer and facing the monitor Kim's way.

"You see Kim," Dr. Director stated with a tone lacking inflection, "One of the security camera's along the building perimeter managed to pick up this quick recording before it was shorted out by a plasma surge." Kim felt her heart jump up into her throat as Dr. Director pressed the "play" button.

The scene that the monitor displayed was of when Shego held Kim up by the throat while Ron and Rufus did their best to separate them. Kim's hand unconsciously came up and touched her bruised neck as she watched and suddenly sucked in a breath when she remembered what was about to occur. The sound and quality of the video was fuzzy but when Kim whispered Shego's name it came through the on speakers loud and clear.

_Oh no…_Kim thought as her heart sank.

Doctor Director rewound the footage and played it back, and then again, and then one more time.

_"Sh-Shego…"_

"_Sh-Shego…"_

"_Sh-Shego…"_

"It sure sounds like you thought it was Shego." Doctor Director said; annoyance and frustration seasoning her originally calm tone. Kim wanted nothing more than to cover her ears and curl up into a ball. Dr. Director walked back over to the teen and leaned forward putting her hands on either side of Kim's seat effectively cornering her.

"Your friend Ron Stoppable confirmed a while ago that you called this "woman" Shego many times during your fight.

_Ron, you doofus!_

He also says however that she claimed to go by the name, "Mayhem" and that he didn't think she was Shego, either. However, we at GJ think we have more then enough evidence to hunt Drakken down and put him away for life, well actually, I think the death penalty would be more then sufficient for inciting **mass murder**.

Kim sighed in relief. _I don't care what happens to, Drakken after he's done something horrible like this! Let him rot… _But Director wasn't finished.

"And our scientists have been just begging to study those powers of Shego's, especially since she seems to have had them increased somehow." She shrugged. "I'm against it personally, but she is way to dangerous to be left alone and we could use the research grants…" Kim stood up suddenly.

"You can't do that! Shego isn't some lab animal! I'm telling you this right now; Shego would never kill anyone. I'll bet Drakken did something to her, for sure!" Director waited calmly for Kim to finish.

"Then you had better hope it really isn't Shego, because were already preparing a large force to apprehend her. We have satellite Intel confirming that a vehicle matching Drakken's hover-pod has been seen on it's way to Middleton as we speak."

Oh my god, maybe she's looking for my help? What's she going to do when I'm not there?

Dr. Director crossed her arms, "The moment she leaves I intend to put an end to this. Global Justice never forgets when its blood is spilled and it never forgives." Kim looked away her mind made up.

_No Dr. Director, I'll be the one who puts an end to this, __**my**__ way._

(Middleton: Twenty Minutes Later)

When Mayhem finally arrived at the Possible residence, it was already three-thirty in the morning. She had left the hover-pod out by the city limits to keep from attracting attention and proceeded to the residence on foot. She figured that normally the long run should have tired her out, but remembered that fatigue was a distant memory when she remembered what she was now. As she made her way to Kim's home the undead woman was sure to always keep under the cover of shadow and was confident of the fact that no cars or late night pedestrians had seen her. She moved as though she were ghost.

_Heh, in a sense I __**am**__ a ghost…_

The house, while large, was a perfectly ordinary two-story suburban residence and didn't stand out from its neighbors in any discernable way. After spending a minute looking the residence over for any alarms she wondered how such a capable opponent came from such an ordinary home, in such a boring town. Mayhem simply couldn't fathom such a thing.

The thought of Kim's home life brought up painful questions as to the nature of the upbringing of Mayhem herself. Those four boys in her tree house memory seemed like family, at least that was the feeling she got when she thought about them. She wondered where they were now, or if they were even among the living. She shook her head to clear those bothersome thoughts.

_Those kinds of questions wont get me anywhere. Not in the future, and certainly not during the task at hand. Even if they were my family, they probably wouldn't want to see me like this anyway, that is… if they could even recognize me. _

That thought led to an even more complicated one: _Kim recognized me… She even knew my old name. God I can't even think of it or I start to feel sick..._

Banishing those thoughts from her mind, Mayhem went around the back of the house in utter silence, a falling leaf would have been louder than she was. With nearly impossible ease, Mayhem scaled the wall with using her claws all the way to the top window and listened. There was not a sound, but that wasn't a surprise at this time of night. She would have actually been a bit shocked to hear voices at such an hour. Deciding that the window she was at was as good a place as any to make an entrance, Mayhem used her claws to quickly slice a wide hole through the window so as not to trip any alarms and leapt within the dark room.

Mayhem's hands lit up with the strange black power and the room was instantly made visible. The bed was empty so that was a plus, as she didn't want to have to "silence" anyone that she didn't have to. She looked through the room and at first figured it belonged to a little girl from the plush toy on the bed, but soon found several pictures that indicated it actually belonged to her target. It shocked Mayhem that this simple, everyday "teen girl" domicile could possibly be the home to one that the doctor considered his greatest enemy. Mayhem decided this was as good a time as any to look through Kim's room for some hint as to whom she used to in life and what her relationship to Kim had been.

Mayhem first went over to the chest of drawers and found only clothes (albeit a startling amount), the closet yielded similar results, with the exception of some kind of strange white and blue suit, but Mayhem paid it little mind. She went to the drawers at the desk where the computer sat. First she found mug shots for several different people, each of whom seemed strangely familiar. The Doctor was among them, some apish man, a large woman with a wide gap between her two front teeth, and even the late Professor Dementor. She paid that picture little mind as she felt nothing of it despite her murderous act against him.

_And I'd do it again too. I'm just that crazy. Mayhem: the crazy murderous corpse. _She smiled morbidly at the thought, however strained the smile may seem to any potential viewer of which there were none.

Resuming her search, she came across school documents, yearbooks that she flipped through (and marveled at how many times Kim appeared throughout them), and pictures of friends including the blond idiot from before. There was only one article left when Mayhem arrived at the bottom of the drawer It appeared to be a face down picture in a frame. Curiously, she reached down and flipped it over. The moment her eyes came in to contact with the image it displayed, her entire body froze over and her mind fell into utter discord.

It was a photo of a woman, an extraordinarily beautiful woman at that. She had skin that was the palest shade green conceivable and alluring emerald eyes that seemed born for seduction. Her hair was a long silky mane of pure midnight, and her lips were full and dark, forming a vague idea of a smile. Lastly, she wore a tight one-piece suit of chaotically clashing black and green that hugged an amazing figure that was the perfect blend of slim and athletic.

Mayhem recognized the woman's face as she had seen it a million times and she had memorized it years ago.

_So, _She thought, _there I am. That's… her._

She looked at the picture for what felt like hours trying to associate any memories she could conjure with it. As she tried she realized that it simply wasn't happening. She was scared of what she would find and was consciously blocking off from what she might find.

_**Stop being such a coward! **_That tiny voice in the back of her mind ordered. As usual she chose to ignore it. That didn't stop the questions though as they assaulted her in legion.

_Was I a bad person, a killer like I've become? Had I had any lovers, or was I even a virgin when I died? What were my parents like, or did I even have any?_ She thought of Kim. The girl had a framed picture of her, and Mayhem simply couldn't fathom what that implied.

_Were Kim and I friends, or what? Drakken certainly hates her and he says I worked for him even before I died. That makes things so complicated…what __**isn't**__ complicated about this situation, I wonder?_ She slowly put the photo back faced down, and after a moment of deep thought she placed all the other articles she had moved back on top of it and shut the drawer.

_If she's not here, I have no reason to stick around._ Mayhem turned to leave the room but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. In the doorway were two young boys who were at the door wearing pajamas. They looked up at her with wide eyes. Mayhem noticed that the two boys were twins, who both had short brown hair, and appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen.

"See, I told you I heard something…" One said.

"Yeah, but you thought it was Kim, so we could blackmail her for coming home so late…" The second countered.

Mayhem mentally panicked. She had to do something, but her feet were rooted to the floor. Simply too many things had happened that day and it was all crashing down on her.

Should I kill them? They've seen me! Maybe I'll just knock them out. Wait, that's probably overkill. Maybe simple intimidation will suffice. Mentally preparing herself, she spoke with the scariest voice she could manage given the situation, which was made doubly scarier given the mechanical undertone her voice always carried.

"Make one move and I'll tear your throats out." She narrowed her white eyes to match her statement. In her personal opinion she normally came off as pretty scary even without speaking which is why it surprised her so when both boys grinned and ran up to her.

"Wow, she's so cool looking, sorta like Demonica from issue #207 of the Fearless Ferret!" One said.

"Yeah, who knew Kim had such cool enemies. I wonder what her power is?" The other added.

Mayhem stared blankly for a moment not sure how to handle this turn of events. Aside from the Doctor, the woman's only other interaction with the outside world since her regenesis involved death and screaming. The open awe and admiration she was receiving from the two young boys was strangely foreign to her. However that evil little voice in her head decided to butt in and add; **you shouldn't be surprised, those two are always like this. **That voice and its advice were becoming very frequent and annoying as of late. Mayhem decided that leaving immediately was her only real option.

Without a word to the two she turned to exit the way she came in. There was no use staying, and she doubted the twins would make any noise to alert others considering their attitude towards such things, although Mayhem questioned the origin of that advice. Before she exited the window, she heard one of the twins shout over to her.

"Don't feel too bad when Kim beats you." He said brightly.

"Yeah, she beats everyone" The other said.

"'cept us!" They both added in unison and gave each other a high five. They were surprised to hear the mysterious woman add her own parting line.

"I hope you're right, I really do…" She then she disappeared into the dark.

Chapter 6: End

To those interested, I have a picture of Mayhem posted here at: Deviantart DOT com SLASH deviation SLASH 58370389 SLASH


	7. Eve of Assault

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 7: Eve of Assault

(Outskirts of Middleton)

"So if you're so sure of your selves, why are we even here?" Kim asked frowning as she and Ron stood with Dr. Director behind the admittedly intimidating military force the one eyed woman has arranged for "Mayhem"s apprehension.

Dr. Director crossed her arms and looked down at the cheerleader in annoyance. As much as the older woman hated to admit it, Betty simply felt better prepared with Team Possible around than without. Shego had been on Global Justice's watch lists for over ten years and in that time the green super-powered woman practically made a game of avoiding capture. Every time they would manage to apprehend the thief, it was due to Kim Possible, and every time GJ was left trying to keep Shego apprehended the green woman would escape within a week starting the cycle over again. It was because of this that Director arranged such an excessive force to deal with the Thief's new powers. This time GJ would have the glory it so rightly deserved and Shego would be finished for good.

However, in the teen hero's opinion this was a scene that should be used as a definition for the term "Over Kill" in the dictionary. Global Justice had arranged for five brand new tanks, fifteen fully armed soldiers and two helicopters equipped with heat seeking missiles. The entire operation was hidden behind GJs newest invention. Dr. Director called it a mirage field. The device projected an image over the large force that made it so any who looked over the group would see an average grassy hillside and not this example of military might. The first time she saw it, Kim broke into a cold sweat. She simply couldn't see anyone dealing with such weaponry, even Shego. Regardless, if the cheerleader had anything to say about it, Shego wouldn't even need to.

Kim intended to stop this fiasco before it even began. Getting away from GJ would be the easy part, and then she would confront Shego and stop using any means necessary to stop the Thief from walking into this virtual death trap. The only problem Kim could think of was if Drakken really is controlling Shego's actions, she might not listen to Kim or even attack her. Kim would be lying if she said she wasn't somewhat wary of Shego's new power and the pain she could now inflict.

_Our last fight didn't exactly go well for either of us… Either way, if she proves to be out of control,_ She looked at GJs over-prepared armaments,_ I'll figure out some less __**lethal**__ way I can stop her. _Kim's thoughts were interrupted when Ron nudged her.

"Hey, KP, you think they can do it? I mean remember what that monster-chick did the last time… " He didn't need to remind her, the purple bruise over her throat reminded her well enough.

"Don't worry Ron, we wont even need to worry about GJs plan, I've got my own."

"WHAT? KP just leave it to these military-types. If I never see those greens and blacks again it'll be too soon!" Ron exclaimed. Kim didn't blame him; he did seem pretty rattled back at the Cromwell facility, and before that at Dementor's Lair.

Kim was about to inform him of what she had prepared, but stopped when her Kimmunicator went off.

"Talk to me Wade. You find out what I asked?" Wade nodded grimly. She understood that he didn't care for her plan either. It was mostly faith in her past accomplishments that kept him from refusing to assist her.

"Yeah, I got the data you wanted when I hacked GJs spy satellite. Shego or Mayhem or whoever she is should be arriving at the ambush point in about ten minutes, you should be able to intercept her at these coordinates if you book it out of there right now." A GPS map appeared in the Kimmunicators task bar.

"Thanks a lot, Wade. You never fail to impress." She smiled. Kim understood the apprehension in her friend's eyes, but her sense of justice simply couldn't allow GJ to pin Shego with something she wasn't guilty of.

"I'd tell you to be careful, but what's the point. You can do anything after all…"

"Mostly because I have people like you watching my back. Well, I'll call you when I get there." Kim cut the connection and turned to Ron. Her plan to get away involved him, and as much as she hated to leave her best friend out of the loop, she couldn't waste any time.

"KP…"

Kim put her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Ron, I need you and Rufus to help me, please…" She turned her most pleading puppy-dog expression his way.

"Grrr, FINE! You really have to stop doing that! Just give us a second." He turned away from Kim and began to silently confer with his hairless companion. After a moment they both turned towards her again.

"Okay KP, we got a plan to get some distance between you and the GJ agents."

"A plan!" Rufus chimed in through his ridiculously large teeth.

Ron looked up at Kim and smiled, he had faith in her that she could do this. She wouldn't even try to help Shego if she didn't think that she could.

"Ok, KP run."

"Huh?"

"That's where our plan begins. **Run**!" Taking the hint, Kim turned and began to sprint towards Wade's coordinates. Her sudden movement attracted the attention of several agents who all didn't hesitate to give chase after her. In response to that Ron stuck his foot out and tripped up the group with almost casual ease. While the agents were disoriented on the ground Ron jumped on the pile of downed soldiers in an attempt to keep them down. The commotion caused by the shouting agents alerted others, to run towards the noise and away from Kim.

_Leave it to Ron Stoppable to come up with such a simple plan._ She thought fondly of her best friend. _I hope he's all right…_ Her eyes focused on the task at hand, and her pace increased beyond what a teenager should be capable of. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her grappling hook/ hairdryer in preparation.

_Shego, I wont let them hurt you!_

(Approaching the outskirts of Middleton)

_So_, Mayhem thought as she rocketed back to the Doctor's lair. _What do I do now? I failed to get that Power Converter, then I let Kim Possible see my face, and now I failed to capture her. That's three failures in one day. _ She chose to ignore the fact that Kim's little brothers saw her too. As far as the dead woman was concerned that was their little secret. She figured she would be lucky if the Doctor ever chose to give her a transfusion ever again.

_**Y'know what? You should care less. If he decides not to do it, I'll help you figure something out on our own. **_

It was that voice again. Mayhem was beginning to hear the familiar sound of it echo throughout her psyche more and more it seemed. It was becoming a perpetual nuisance. Her own thoughts were made clouded and chaotic, and the voice shattered what little confidence she had left until there was none at all. She decided to call the voice on its claim.

_Okay then, how do you propose I do that? You act like you know everything well prove it._

_**Don't take that tone with me! Without me you'd be nothing more than a fleshy robot. Listen, I don't know how yet but give me some time and I promise we'll figure something out. If all else fails, we can always ask Princess for her assistance.**_

_Why do you always call Kim Possible things like that? Also why would she even help me?_

_**Because she helps people, it's just what she does. As annoying and frustrating as it tends to be…**_

_Oh my god, I'm a walking super-corpse having an internal debate with a voice in my head. This needs to end right now._

_**Suit yourself, but see how far that takes you. You know where I'll be when you realize how much you need me, sweet heart. **_

Mayhem shook her head to clear her chaotic thoughts. If the former-thief was really losing her mind like she thought than that was just "par for the course" at this point. Mayhem had no trouble adding insanity to her list of burdens. Her thoughts were interrupted when a grappling hook of some kind snagged the railing of her hover-pod.

Mayhem's first instinct was to simply melt the hook and send whoever was climbing her way up to the pod crashing towards the rocks below. However, a curiosity to wait and see who it was stayed her hand. After a few seconds, a black-gloved hand snagged the railing followed by a second, and the two appendages effortlessly hauled a fit young body over the side into the pod with the dead woman. Even if Mayhem didn't recognize the figure, she certainly recognized the red hair.

"Kim Possible." She said in her usual mechanical deadpan. "I'm surprised you came to me like this, instead of the other way around." Her clawed gloves curled into fists.

_This works out I suppose. I'll be back in the Doctor's good graces and my future will be assured. _She did her best to ignore the second voice as it screamed its disapproval into her mind.

Kim meanwhile didn't know what to think when confronted with the older woman a second time. During their initial encounter, too many confusing things were going on for the hero to interpret anything in depth. Now that she was only four feet away from Shego, all of the green thief's differences to her previous self was making it hard to believe in her earlier conviction that it was even Shego.

_Maybe this really isn't Shego…_ She shook her head. _No, it is! She __**is**__ Shego, and I'm going to fix whatever Drakken has done to her!_

"Shego," Kim ignored the brief flicker in the older woman's white eyes when Kim said Shego. "Listen to me, you have to stop this thing and turn it around! You're driving right into an ambush set up by Global Justice!" The older woman's expression didn't change in the slightest. Those white bulls-eyes kept burrowing their way into Kim as they continued to make eye contact.

"Shego, why aren't you listening? Stop this thing!" The red-haired woman looked so desperately concerned in Mayhem's eyes that she almost wavered in her resolve. Almost. Mayhem reached for the controls for the pod, and for a moment could almost taste Kim's relief as she assumed that the dead woman intended to listen to her and halt the controls. Then the undead woman killed the teens hope by activating the pod's com-system instead of halting its movement.

"Mayhem, what is it now, have you accomplished your mission?" The rough scratchy voice of Doctor Drakken came through clearly over he pods speakers. Mayhem glanced in Kim's direction, and her eyes lingered on the hurt look in the teen's eyes before responding.

"Yes, Doctor. I have the Possible girl."

"Excellent work, Mayhem." He sounded almost giddy with excitement, much to both women's chagrin. Kim couldn't stand to be silent for a moment longer.

"You've stepped WAY over the line this time, Drakken! What have you done with Shego? Tell me!" Kim heard a great deal of shifting coming from Drakken over the speakers, followed by him clearing his voice.

"Shego? Who are you referring to? Shego doesn't work for me anymore, Kim Possible. I've had her… replaced by a much more **reliable** assistant. Isn't that right, Mayhem?" He asked in his smarmiest voice.

Mayhem almost didn't want to respond to such a display of arrogance but she remembered her place and responded with reluctance.

"That is correct, Doctor."

Kim grit her teeth tightly while her face flushed crimson with rage. Mayhem felt torn inside at seeing such a cute young woman pollute her features with such an expression. After a moment Kim visibly calmed herself. "Fine, Have it your way. I'll just make it that much worse for you when I find out what you did on my own."

Mayhem was secretly glad someone decided to speak to the doctor with such disrespect, but didn't allow it show on her face. Remembering Kim's initial warning, she added, "Doctor, one more thing. I have reason to believe that a military force is currently en route to apprehend me. Your orders?"

She heard him chuckle over the line and winced. Everyday seemed to swell his ego more and more. She wondered if it would eventually burst. The image that brought up almost made the woman smile.

"Hmm, kill them all, Mayhem. Make an example of all those who dare to oppose my **brilliance**. Don't hold back, make it **flashy**."

"Shego, don't listen to him! You're better than this!"

Slowly Mayhem turned from the com-system to look at Kim with an unreadable expression. Kim felt like she way being sized up and began to tense before the older woman's fist lashed out and knocked the younger woman hard into the railing. The strike wasn't particularly strong but it was sufficient in knocking the teen into deep unconsciousness.

"My name is Mayhem." She said, but the words were not directed at the redhead. She cut the connection as Drakken laughed.

_**You cowardly piece of garbage! **_The voice screamed.

_I'm tired of dealing with you. Just be quiet and leave me be._

_**Soon you'll realize what your doing, and then its gonna tear you apart!**_

Mayhem sighed and leaned against the pods controls. Her white eyes looked into the distance where a bloodbath was promised to soon commence.

_I'm being torn apart already. _

She looked over at the young woman slumped against the inner wall of the hover-pod. Stray red hairs dangled in front of her face and her eyes were shut in a troubled slumber. A dark bruise began to rise across the young woman's left cheek. In Mayhem's eyes she figured this redhead looked as much like an angel as a person could. She bent over and positioned Kim in the pods passenger seat so she was more comfortable.

_I hope she stays asleep the whole time…it'll be safer for her._

_**You really are contrary you know that, "Mayhem"? **_The voice spoke her name with obvious contempt. _**You act like you don't care but when it comes to things involving, Kimmie you become such a sap.**_

Mayhem decided to humor the voice with a response. _I just don't want to let her see the real me. Or to ruin her by letting her witness me at work…_

_**Y'know, not even she can help you if you don't want to help yourself.**_

Mayhem found she couldn't come up with a response.

_**Just think about it, Okay? **_The voice fell silent.

Mayhem looked up to see four points of flame rushing towards the hover-pod. It didn't take a genius for a person to figure out what they were either.

"Missiles."

These "Global Justice" enemies were certainly well equipped, that was for sure. Mayhem had yet to encounter missiles in any of her missions thus far, and was curious as to what was the best way to approach dealing with them. After a moment of consideration, she decided on the direct approach. She set the controls of the pod on standby and placed her right foot on the edge of the railing. She cast Kim one last look and silently prayed that the redhead would remain asleep for the duration of what was soon to occur.

Turning in the direction of the missiles, Mayhem jumped forward from the railing, her hands lit ablaze with black inferno.

"Showtime."

(Outskirts of Middleton: Temporary GJ HQ)

Dr. Director looked down at the blonde boy who had a hand in jeopardizing her well thought out operation; Ron Stoppable. He was currently looking up at her with his usual good-natured grin, despite his black eye and the fact that he was tied to a folding chair. His little naked mole rat pet lay on his lap, also tied up but in the rat's case, the rope was a shoelace. As far as Betty Director could tell, Ron was a decoy for the young Possible so that she could escape. To do what, Betty wasn't sure. Director knew she wouldn't leave Ron without a damn good reason, and that she probably intended to return for her sidekick some time soon.

"So Mr. Stoppable, what does Kim intend to do now?" Director asked patiently. She would have been more worried, but the Director of Global Justice had nothing but faith in her plan. She doubted Kim was capable of doing much of anything to ruin it at this point.

Ron looked up at the one-eyed woman and shrugged in a casual way that was inappropriate given the present circumstances. "I dunno. Maybe she just had a really bad itch for some snackage. You know there's no use denying a Bueno Nacho craving. It just isn't possible, even for a Possible." He snickered at his own cleverness, while Betty just inwardly groaned.

"Naco!" Rufus added though his gag muffled his words. GJ certainly didn't want the little creature chewing through his master's restraints after all.

Dr. Director honestly doubted the young man would be any help to give her any information but it was worth asking. Before Betty could continue questioning Ron, Agent Will Du burst in on her command tent.

"Dr. Director, we've lost contact with the two assault choppers we sent against Codename: Mayhem, sir." Agent Will said in his usual stiff and proper manner.

Rather then be distressed, Director expected this. This woman **was** Shego after all. Some collateral damage was only to be expected. Betty smirked knowing that GJ would come out the victor of this exchange. The helicopters were merely decoys to throw Shego off the tanks hidden assault.

"All right Agent Du, follow me. I'm going to assign tasks to the forward armored unit."

"Yes, sir!"

She and Agent Du stepped out into the thick of military preparation. Soldiers of all kinds ran around loading the tanks and rifles. Director was about to relay instructions to the tank squad when she saw something approaching from the distant sky. It appeared to be some kind of comet; only it was black… and charging directly towards them. Dr. Director barely had time for the words, "RUN!" before the comet hit, and her world exploded in flames.

Chapter 7: End


	8. Body Count

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 8: Body Count

Without hesitation Doctor Director grabbed Agent Will Du and jumped behind the closest tank for cover as the burning black star collided with the ground directly on top of five of the Global Justice agents. The explosion caused by the impact and of the black light was bright enough that closing her one eye did nothing to shield Betty from the terrible flash. Initially Dr. Director had no idea how to react and uselessly rubbed at her eye hoping to be able to regain her sight. However, after that moment of brief shock Dr. Director's extensive training came through and she pulled out her sidearm to look around her cover and assess the current state of things. What she saw would follow her into her nightmares.

The five troops the burning figure landed upon were simply no more. All the one-eyed director of GJ could make out through the smoke and ash dancing through the air was a fiery black silhouette standing in the center of a molten glass crater. Several assault rifles and blackened bones were partially fused with the fresh glass. That was all the evidence she needed to determine the fate of the five agents. Betty couldn't help but cover her mouth in abject horror at the sight. She barely noticed the sound of panicked soldiers, men under her command and responsibility, screaming for orders through her communicators speakers before all that came through was mindless static.

_We weren't prepared for this in the slightest!_

"Dr. Director! Your orders?" Will's voice cut through the fog of discord Betty's mind was lost in. Shaking her head, she turned to Will.

"Status report!"

Will shook his head and pointed at his communicator. "All our systems were knocked out by the impact. I can't link to the satellite, Sir!"

"Dammit!"

During all of the chaos the tanks began using their advanced auto-targeting systems to line up their main guns with the figure that stood calmly amidst the inferno watching troops and tanks circle around her. The onyx flames around the figure began to die down until all that was aflame was the enemy's clawed fists. Now uncloaked by the heat Betty could plainly see who stood in the middle of what would soon be a virtual torrent of tank shells and rifle rounds.

_Is that Shego? That __**monster**__ is Shego? That's impossible! …Mayhem, she said her name was Mayhem. _

Seeing Mayhem in the video was one thing, but seeing the monster standing before her, looking to tear her soldiers to shreds was another thing entirely. The dark green woman turned her head left and right to get a fix on the positions of all the men and weaponry surrounding her. After a moment of silent deliberation the corners of Mayhem's mouth turned up just enough to resemble a smile, albeit barely.

Doctor Director gasped and could feel the bony hand of death at her throat as she looked upon Mayhem's expression, it could only indicate one thing; _She's not scared of us at all! _Not wasting any time, Director's voice called out to her men over her communicator, her voice was borderline panic.

"FIRE NOW!"

Not a second later a literal storm of bullets rushed to meet with Mayhem's body with every intention of tearing the pale-green woman apart. The attempt was soon revealed to be embarrassingly useless. The moment the bullet rounds made contact with the red barrier that shot up around Mayhem's entire body, every single bullet ricochet off the force field in all directions. Suddenly, there was a blur of motion and Mayhem was in the air as the ground where she stood exploded sending dirt and debris everywhere. All the tanks had fired at once where she stood moments ago, but somehow she immediately knew when they were about to fire a shot and easily evaded it.

_She didn't bother to dodge the bullets, but she avoided the tank shells! The tanks can hurt her! _Dr. Director realized. She pulled out her GJ communicator and shouted in it.

"All infantry, your job is to hold Codename: Mayhem down long enough for the tanks to get a fix on her!" She hoped blindly that her men would be able to follow such an order.

_I wonder if I would if I were in their position…_

The ten remaining soldiers wasted no time surrounding their monstrous enemy a second time. However, rather then fire upon her with their seemingly impotent firearms, the smarter few lobbed grenades in the green woman's direction. They were satisfied to see she actually went out of her way to dodge this assault. However, the men soon lost that ounce of hope they kept when they witnessed the woman's movements as she ducked and weaved between explosives, almost as though she had choreographed the fight herself and was now merely acting out the preset motions.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mayhem noticed one of the closest of the five tanks was pointing its main turret directly at her. She didn't know why but the sight of looking through that giant gun barrel caused her insides to clench, and made her undead flesh crawl. Not only that, but her scar seemed to give a phantom pain triggered by the sight. It felt like she was being torn in half. This sensation could go on no longer. She leapt upward the moment the tank shell left the barrel, the stray shot hitting the troop tent and demolishing it.

Gracefully and soundlessly, Mayhem landed on the very top of the offending tank and lightly placed her hands along the turret. At first she didn't appear to be doing anything despite the concentration on her face, but soon the metal under her hands began to turn a terrible bright glowing red, soon followed by the gut wrenching screams from deep within the tank.

Dr. Director gasped as she realized to her horror what Mayhem was attempting. _Oh my god, she cooking them alive! _She grabbed her GJ communicator and demanded that they fire upon her to get her off the doomed vehicle.

"We can't Sir! The bullets don't work, and any other tank round would hit the tank!"

_Dammit, there's nothing we can do… They're dead…_

Even when the horrible cries from within the tank finally silenced, Mayhem didn't stop until the ammo within finally responded to her burning touch. The undead woman leapt effortlessly from the vehicle as it erupted in flames from within blowing the machine apart. The soldiers who stood around Mayhem looked at her with fear and horror, and thought (not for the first time) that they were grossly under prepared to handle this menace.

(Back at the Hover-Pod)

_It feels like someone put my brain in an industrial press _Kim thought as she slowly opened her eyes to her surroundings. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, and she was fuzzy on the details as to how it even happened in the first place.

_Lets see… SHEGO! I was trying to stop Shego and she hit me, knocking me out. _

The cheerleader quickly looked around, despite the throbbing pain of her cheek and head. Shego was gone, and as far as Kim could tell, the Hover-Pod was just parked near the highway, unoccupied. The teen barely noticed that she had been moved to the passenger seat from where she had been struck as her mind was on other things.

_I bet she went after GJ, who knows what happened to her? She may already have been captured, or worse! _Kim didn't want to think about it. She pulled out her Kimmunicator and quickly called up Wade.

"Wade, what's going on over at GJ?"

"Kim where have you been?" Wade's face was a mess of worry. "I've been trying to call you for the last ten minutes!"

"It was no big, I'll tell you about it later, but for now I need to know what happened out there! Please Wade."

Wade's face darkened and he shook his head. "It's not good Kim. It's like World War Three over there. I tried to hack their satellite but it's currently out of sync with the surroundings. Not only that, but it's registering a great deal of heat and light coming from the immediate area. Mayhem is probably…" He didn't feel the need to finish voicing his doubts.

"Thanks Wade! I'll go and see for myself."

"But Ki-" Kim cut the connection and without wasting another minute, she jumped over her seat to the hover-pod controls and began to look over the consol to figure out how to start the machine. After a moment of experimentation, the pod soon took to the air and began to make its way forward.

_I hope I make it in time!_

After about three minutes of high speed traveling Kim came across two towers of black smoke and ash. Fearing for the worst she slowed the pod down so that she could assess the ruined, smoking wrecks. As near as Kim could tell, they were some kind of combat helicopters. After a moment of thought she recalled Global Justice's temporary base had two such choppers waiting for Shego. Now those brand new choppers looked as though they had been put through a meat grinder and then set on fire. Kim knew immediately what had happened.

A freezing chill went up Kim's neck causing the hairs to stand on end. The cheerleader stepped on the gas pedal as hard as she could and the pod rocketed forward past the two damaged copters.

_Ron is back there too!_

(Mayhem)

_**So, this is how far you're willing to go for that blue-face dolt? **_The voiced asked as Mayhem assessed the devastation that surrounded her.

The molten slag remains from four of the five tanks had pooled around the battlefield and hardened, smoke rising up from the cooling metal like a scene from an erupted volcano. Charred bones and dismembered corpses littered the field. They were all that remained of the fifteen soldiers that had been so prepared to apprehend her. The last remaining tank had been upended on to its side and (as far as Mayhem was concerned) had been removed from the fight. All that remained of the once proud force of Global Justice agents was the woman commander and her slick-haired assistant, who seemed to be frantically calling for backup.

_The doctor told me to kill them all._

_**And you'll do exactly as he says because you're his pretty little slave, right "Mayhem"?**_

…_That's right._

Looking over the battle Mayhem was honestly surprised by her own capabilities; as long as she was careful of her force fields energy state and limitations she was virtually untouchable just as the Doctor said. All she needed to do was avoid all of the tank rounds and explosives and the soldiers fell before her flames and claws like grass before a lawnmower.

Mayhem slowly began to make her way over to the woman with the eye-patch. All of the smarter tactics the soldiers had used against her had been innovations of that woman which was notably impressive. Regardless of her skill, Mayhem's orders were very specific.

_I guess this is the end._

To anyone watching, Mayhem almost appeared unthreatening as she slowly approached Dr, Director. Her arms were limp at her side and she was looking more at the ground in front of her than at the director of GJ. The dead woman almost appeared lost in her own head as she closed the distance. So lost in fact that she failed to notice when Agent Will Du pointed his wrist at her and in a desperate attempt blasted his taser at her on it's highest setting.

For a brief instant Mayhems perception blurred as the high voltage current coursed throughout her body, however her shield soon blocked the electricity and she adjusted to the current. Despite this, Mayhem's head began to throb out of control. It felt as though her brain way trying to twist itself in half, forcing the undead woman to her knees while clutching her head in unbelievable pain.

Images of a battle with Kim in the dead of night began to assault her mind. Kim was wearing the blue and white jumpsuit that was in her closet and delivering painful blows to her then mortal body, there was then a gap in her memory followed by a proclamation of hatred, and then incredible pain. Electricity ripping into whoever Mayhem used to be as the voltage tore through her spine. The young agent's taser blast brought that memory to the forefront of her mind.

_What was THAT? _Mayhem all but demanded of the other voice. It acted like it knew things that she didn't so answering her questions was all she considered the disembodied words useful for.

_**Listen! **_The voice shouted to try to calm Mayhem down, -_**what happened back then-**_

_Kim Possible tried to kill me! We were enemies! I knew that we were on opposing sides but I didn't know it was like that…_

_**No! Listen to me what happened back then was- **_The voices words were cut off as the young agent who electrocuted her fired his taser again, or at least tried. He seemed to have developed some overconfidence as to his weapons actual effect when he tried the first time and Mayhem fell to her knees. Will soon realized that Mayhem's reaction to his taser had little to do with his impotent toy. However, she was now in a very unforgiving mood.

From Will Du's perception there was no actual movement when Codename: Mayhem moved from her spot on her knees in apparent pain to standing over him now, looking down at him with contempt. The young agent was completely unable to follow the speed the green monster of a woman used when she moved to confront him. Now that same monster looked down at him with those white eyes that were filled with hate and malice.

Mayhem glared down at him without mercy or pity and slowly raised her arm high above her head; her gold claws caught the moonlight beautifully. Will could see her muscles flex and bulge beneath the cloth that wrapped around the limb poised above him. So frightened was Agent Du that he was oblivious to Dr. Director's voice yelling at him from behind to run, or to the strange twisting and tightening sounds coming from within Mayhem's arm as she prepared for the strike. What he did hear were the woman's words though. It came through her mouth as a strange dark rumble of a voice like the sound of a revving engine.

"You forget your place," was all Mayhem had to say.

Then the claw hovering over his head came down and Global Justice First Class Agent William Du was slashed into four slices. The brutal act was punctuated by the screams of one Betty Director.

(Kim Possible)

Kim ran blindly past the chaos and carnage that surrounded her. When she reached the battlefield, she had abandoned the hover-pod in favor of looking over the damage on foot, hoping to encounter Ron and Shego. She didn't care what happened, all she knew, was she needed to stop Shego now and make sure her best friend was safe. Kim honestly didn't believe that Shego was able to do the kind of damage that polluted the landscape around her even with an upgrade to her powers. This was simply impossible for one single person to accomplish.

After over five minutes of negotiating between what appeared to be melted tanks and burning tent canvas, Kim came across Dr. Director's command tent. Ron and her had been free to move around outside of the temporary facility while Dr, Director got things ready, albeit, they were under close watch from the other agents at the time. Now however, Kim could see not a trace of a single living person.

When she didn't hear anyone within the tent she almost panicked thinking of a million different fates that could have befallen her best friend. Taking a deep breath, Kim pushed through the tent flaps and saw the very person she searched for lying on his side while poorly struggling against his bonds. Rufus comically mimicked his master's actions with his own miniature restraints. As Ron worked his back was to Kim and he didn't appear to notice anyone else had entered the room along with him.

"Ron!" Kim shouted as relief washed over her like a refreshing wave.

"KP!" Ron exclaimed. The young blond then stopped what he was doing and tried to turn his head to look at his best friend. Kim quickly moved to his side and undid his bonds along with Rufus's. When this was finished they both stood up and Ron rubbed his raw and sore wrists. He looked up smiling at Kim but his expression soon reversed into a frown when he noticed her bruised cheek.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Hurt?" Asked Rufus with equal concern.

Kim smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm fine, don't worry about it." Her warm expression hardened.

"What happened? Where is Shego?"

"You mean Mayhem?" Ron asked confused, He honestly never saw a connection between the two women.

"Grr, No, Ron. Shego, did she come here?" Kim asked exasperated.

Ron nodded, "I didn't see anything while I was stuck in here but it sounded like the first five minutes of _Saving Private Ryan_ out there. In fact, I think they're **still** fighting out there." His expression darkened. "I thought I heard Dr. Director scream just a minute before you came in."

"Scream?" Kim couldn't believe that such a strong commander would ever do such a thing.

"Yeah, " stated Ron. Kim didn't need to hear anything else from him. She ran from the tent quickly followed by Ron and Rufus. She thought she heard her friend tell her to stop or maybe slow down but she was far beyond the point of being able to acknowledge such a request.

Kim was soon greeted with the sight of Mayhem standing over an unrecognizable pile of bloodied and slashed remains a moment later. Dr. Director was pointing her firearm at the woman and kept pulling the trigger, even though it had long since run out of bullets. Her expression was wild and unfocused. Mayhem moved towards the woman, red drips trailed on the ground underneath her right hand.

"SHEGO!" Kim called as she ran for the woman.

Abruptly, Mayhem turned towards Kim. Her white eyes flashed hatred and contempt for the young girl. Kim was unprepared for such a look of unabashed malice as Mayhem rushed forward and grabbed her by the upper arms, lifting the smaller girl up.

"I just remembered," Mayhem spoke in a voice barely above a whispered growl. "You tried to **kill** me a long time ago. We're enemies **right**?" She asked as though it was more of a statement than a question.

Kim recoiled within the vice-like grip of Mayhem's hands. Yes they had fought, but it was never out of malice. Both Shego and Kim seemed have an understanding that it wasn't personal. It was just the way of things; Shego was a thief and Kim was a hero.

_I don't get it. Shego has never looked at me like that. _Something else that the dark green woman stated caught in Kim's mind. _What does she mean by "I just remembered" I never tried to kill her._

Mayhem's attention was broken as Kim's idiot friend ran up in a panic at the sight of Kim once again at Mayhem's mercy. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, the older woman noticed movement in the direction of the flipped tank. The downed weapon was slowly turning it barrel to face the dead woman and the hero. If it fired now it would kill Kim and probably bring whatever a person could call Mayhem's existence to an abrupt halt.

"_**Oh no, Kimmie, get out of the way!"**_

For a moment, Mayhem thought she was just hearing the disembodied voice again, however she soon realized the words had actually jumped from her own mouth. She pushed forward, strengthening her shield to protect Kim as the tank fired.

The massive shell tore relentlessly past her shield into Mayhem's back, through her left lung, and out her front cutting a gaping black hole through her torso. Her body lost her grip on Kim and went flying forward. Mayhem tumbled into an out-of-control summersault before the inertia slowed down and she finally stopped. Her limp frame lay unmoving on the hard gravel.

Kim had been pushed clear of the blast thanks to Shego. It was painfully obvious that had the green woman not acted, she would be dead right that very moment. All these thoughts ran through her mind, as Kim lay sprawled out on the ground when she was thrown back as Mayhem shielded her. The force of the explosion caused Ron to trip and fall covering his ears, and Rufus to hide deep in his pocket for safety.

_SHEGO!_

Despite her bodies loud protests Kim tried to force herself up. When she attempted to prop her right arm underneath herself to push her to her feet a sudden stabbing pain caused her arm to give, sending the cheerleader back to the ground. Kim brought the injured hand level with her face to see what was wrong and what was wrong soon became apparent. Her ring finger was twisted backwards, clearly broken. It was of course not the first time she suffered such an injury with her active lifestyle so she chose to ignore the wound for the moment until she could check on the state of her savior. Favoring her right hand Kim stood and ran over to where Shego lay.

_Oh my god!_

Shego was dead. Black fluid ran out of a hole the size of a bowling ball that had utterly destroyed a path through the left side of Shego's torso. Kim didn't even need to check if the older woman had a pulse, since her exposed heart was clearly not beating, as it was now visible to the naked eye.

Without warning Kim's body lost all it's strength and her legs gave out beneath her as she stared at Shego's corpse. Strangely the green woman's blood looked already coagulated despite having just been shed. The thick black liquid dripped lazily from the massive fatal wound.

_Shego, I'm sorry I couldn't help you. _

Tears began to form in the young redheads eyes, as she tightened her uninjured hand into a fist. She didn't even notice Ron walk up and put his hand on her shoulder. The hero wasn't sure why, but almost on it's own her left hand slowly reached for Shego's right hand. However, a moment before it made contact the wicked clawed hand began to twitch.

Kim jumped back in horror knocking Ron off his feet. Stiffly and slowly the body on the ground propped its arms underneath itself and with great effort Shego's body began to prop itself up and climb to her feet. Shego acted as though she didn't mind the hole through her chest.

Kim was frozen. It felt as though her blood had turned to ice and she couldn't think straight. Nothing in her entire adventurous career could prepare her for the hellish sight she now bore witness to. As Shego's ruined body stood up it turned to look down at her.

The once beautiful dark green face was now in ruins from impacting with the rocks and gravel. Shredded muscle and bone was fully exposed, and her right eye was a pulpy ruined mess. The tattered tunnel passing through where her left breast used to be now exposed broken ribs which acted as a frame for the grisly passage. Shego's dead body looked over Kim as though to assess her physical state and without warning she spoke.

"Are you alright?"

Kim screamed.

Chapter 8: End


	9. Rolling in Ones Grave

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 9: Rolling in Ones Grave

Kim clumsily stumbled backwards when faced with the nightmarish sight that stood before her. As much as her rational mind denied it, Shego's corpse had gotten off the ground and was now staring down at her. Somewhere in the corner of her mind the teenager could vaguely recalled when Ron made her watch that zombie movie marathon on the horror channel and how those fetid corpses looked as they shambled after their prey. The woman glaring down at her now was a dead giveaway for one of those movie-monsters. Kim wasn't sure how long she numbly stared up at what remained of Shego but she noticed that her throat hurt a great deal, and could vaguely hear the sound of screaming in the background. Kim quickly realized to her own surprise and shock who had been supplying the grating noise.

_Was that me? Had I been the one screaming?_

The young redhead's eyes never left the wretched figure standing over her. Bile threatened to crawl up her throat when she saw that she could actually see the tank that had killed Shego mere moments ago clearly through the hole in the green woman's torso. Slowly the ravaged figure took a step towards her and Kim instinctively crab-walked backwards bumping into Ron in the process. The hero was too scared to look away but from what she could hear from the hyperventilating coming from behind her, Ron was taking this impossible situation no better than she was.

Kim was not sure what force animated Shego's body but the green woman currently retained almost none of the feminine allure that she possessed not two minutes ago. The green woman's right eye had been popped by a stray piece of gravel and now her _vitreous humor _oozed slowly down her face from her ruined eye socket. That aside, her face was now covered in tiny scratches and scrapes which formed an almost spider web of damage across her right cheek. Her left cheek received far worse treatment and had been pulled clean off during her crash unveiling all her teeth on that side of her jaw down to her back molars. The blood that lazily dripped down her face was a thick black coagulated gel, falling in a slow and steady rhythm from the super-powered thief's many wounds.

Shego ceased all movement and looked away after seeing Kim retreat from her like a frightened child confronted by the monster in the closet. Upon seeing Shego cease her slow advance, Kim's higher brain functions took over and she forced herself to calm down. This allowed the cheerleader needed time to collect her bearing and reassess her current situation. The young woman forced herself to look back up at Shego and immediately noticed something that her terrified mind had missed initially; the dark woman's expression was one of deep hurt… and shame.

_She's ashamed… of herself? _

The idea that Shego could even feel shame was hard to believe. Regardless, as far as Kim could tell, it was almost as though Shego was more hurt that Kim was seeing her in this impossibly damaged state than that Kim was so scared of her. The way things stood Kim was having a great deal of trouble putting a single string of thoughts together.

_Why is Shego so much stronger then before? Why did she say she couldn't remember me? Why was she able to survive a tank round to the back?_ There were so many questions and no foreseeable answers. Kim could do nothing but stare in horror at her archrival.

After five minutes of what seemed to Kim like silent deliberation, Shego turned and began to slowly limp away towards where Kim had left the hover-pod earlier. The woman's steps appeared stiff and slow, almost as though Shego was forcing her muscles to respond beyond their ability, which made perfect sense considering that the thief should not be able to move at all or ever again.

_I should stop her; I can't let her leave like- _Kim's train of though died as she looked at the hole through Shego's back. _There is nothing I can do about that is there._ Then she thought; _I can't leave her like that! I said I'd help her! Well, look at her Kim; she's never needed more help than she does right __**now**_

Kim opened her mouth to call out to the rapidly retreating figure, but her words died within her before they left her raw throat. Her vocal chords felt paralyzed, and no matter how she tried Kim couldn't bring herself to make anything more advanced than an illegible squeak. After what felt like an eternity, Shego figure disappeared into the burning shadows.

Four minutes or maybe a hundred years went by before the teen hero had enough courage to so much as stand up from the dirt she was kneeling in. Kim discovered that Ron had fainted some time ago and Dr. Director was nowhere in sight. Kim was alone with nothing but her thoughts, and they afforded her absolutely no comfort. She had done **nothing**, and now who knew when she would ever see Shego again. She was less than useless, and in her mind didn't deserve to be called a hero. Heroes saved people, and went above and beyond what was expected of them.

_All I could do was sit on my ass and watch Shego disappear._

As if to nail in the irony any deeper, Kim's voice returned to her mere moments after it would have done the cheerleader any good. With it, she spoke one word that summed up her feelings on the matter.

"Dammit!"

(The Hover-Pod)

When Mayhem finally reached the hover-pod she limply fell into the piloting seat far too physically and emotionally drained for any more advanced actions. She doubted that she could accomplish anything more complex than activating the pod's self-return function. Judging from the mind numbing stiffness and grating pain overtaking her senses Mayhem was fully aware that her body was beginning to undergo full shutdown. It was probably likely that she would not even last half the trip back to the Doctor's lair; in fact she was probably not even going to last the next five minutes.

Experimentally Mayhem tried to lift her right hand to see how much conscious time she had left to work with. All that the appendage managed to do was halfheartedly twitch, but that aside, there was little else in the way of movement that the ex-thief believed herself capable of accomplishing. Idly, Mayhem realized that she was simply too emotionally worn out to feel what normally would have been blinding and searing pain coursing through her every nerve. Instead, all that the undead woman felt was a deep all-consuming numbness. Seeing Kim's look of disgust at the truth of Mayhem's new existence was simply more than her soul could bear.

Roughly eight minutes of travel went by before Mayhem's vision (or what remained of it having lost an eye) began to darken, and sounds began to dull and silence, tapering off as though she was lifelessly sinking into a deep dark ocean. Her mind echoed with the Doctor's warnings while she could still manage some basic thought.

"_Without blood, you're the same as any dead body, remember that." _That was what he had said weeks ago when he first gave her a transfusion. Well, it was proving to be utterly true. Her lifeblood was slowly leaving her drip by drip, and she was dying all over again. She wondered what it would be like the second time around, or if this time it would be permanent just as nature had originally intended before the Doctor decided to play god.

_**You're such a defeatist you know that?**_

_Oh… it's you again. I figured you'd show up. Tch, you always have to have the last word don't you._ It figured that the last thing Mayhem would hear would be the ever-annoying presence of that voice. She truly hoped that one day it would leave her in peace, but from what she could tell, that day was a long time coming.

**_And you always have to take the easy way out don't you._ **The voice mocked, imitating her tone.** _I'm always so disgusted with you "Mayhem". Why can't you just stand up and fight? Screw the consequences; at least you'd have your dignity._**

_Dignity?_ Mayhem scoffed. _What need have I of dignity? In five minutes you and me will be right back where we started, cold and lifeless. Or didn't you know that?_

_**What I know is that all it takes is another session in that metal torture-seat for you to be right back on your feet. **_The voice stated with natural self-importance._** If you really just wanted to be dead you wouldn't have crawled back into this stupid flying car. Face it, Sweetheart; you haven't lost that selfish will to survive. You've just grown… unfamiliar with it.**_

Mayhem knew immediately that she had lost her argument. The voice was absolutely right and there was nothing that Mayhem could say to prove otherwise. One way or another she wanted to continue living if for nothing else to at least accomplish **something**. It was almost as though there existed some wild instinct locked tightly away in the deepest and darkest crevice of her mind.

However, even if the Doctor brought her back to life again (and he probably would) that didn't solve any of her problems. The one person in the world that the voice said could help her was unable to so much as look at her face. The moment the redhead had learned the truth, or at least a fraction of the truth, she had tried to escape in abject horror.

_I thought you said that Kim Possible could help me. You're idea of a savior leaves **much** to be desired._

_**She'll definitely come around soon. Princess is far from a coward. Besides, even I would have felt a bit queasy if I saw you all shredded up like this.**_

Before Mayhem could utter a response she felt her mind begin to cloud over as her senses had earlier. This is it, she thought, at least for now. The sensation was as though she were falling into a deep sleep for which there would be no waking. Vaguely before all cognition was lost to her, Mayhem thought she heard the voice say one last thing.

_**We'll get past this… Shego…**_

(Middleton: One Week Later)

Kim sighed and slammed the heavy book shut, tossing the offending volume atop a rapidly growing pile of similar literature. The book, which was entitled; "A Complete History of Genetic Adaptation Experimentation" afforded Kim no comfort in what appeared to be a very useless pursuit.

_It's sure been a long **long** night…_

Kim rubbed her temples to try to relieve herself of a headache, which appeared to be developing into a rapidly growing migraine. The hero stiffly reclined back in her seat allowing herself a much-needed five-minute long break from the endless tedium. The redhead sighed and thought back on the events of the previous week.

The situation at GJ had been wisely kept away from the general public considering that any and all knowledge of Global Justice was considered top secret anyways. After Shego's disappearance, Kim had been forced to drag Ron's heavy and unconscious figure away from the craterous remains of the assault site. The last thing the hero wanted was to have to go through another mindless debriefing regarding what occurred that night or what her connection to the events in question was.

In Kim's honest opinion she doubted that finding the genius teen would be on top of Global Justice's priority list, mostly considering that their assault force had been reduced to scrap and ashes. Luckily, Kim had been correct on that assumption, and for the last week she had not heard from either GJ or Dr. Director at all, not even a single email. The redhead secretly hoped that Dr. Director was all right. The last Kim saw of the older woman, the one-eyed commander had appeared more than a little shell-shocked by the experience.

Rather than allow herself to fall into depression over her previous reaction to Shego's injuries, Kim didn't hesitate to correct her temporary lapse of willpower. She decided that the best way to make up for her mistake would be to not rest until Shego got the helping hand that she was clearly (at least to Kim) reaching for on that fateful day. And so, ever since the cheerleader managed to get home and sleep for the first time in twenty-six hours, she attacked the problem as she saw it to be.

Kim figured that Drakken must have taken a page out of DNAmy's book and do a little altering to Shego's DNA on a genetic level. Ever since witnessing Shego's newfound abilities and obviously increased regenerative capabilities, the possibility of genetic tampering had been rolling around in Kim's head. It was the only feasible thing Kim could imagine, considering what she had witnessed, but even that seemed somewhat farfetched. Thankfully most of DNAmy's research papers and experimental data was federal evidence of the mad-woman's crimes so Kim needed to only ask for Wade's assistance to obtain detailed copies of those files for her to go over.

In addition, Kim called on every geneticist and biologist that owed the hero a favor (and even a few who didn't) on top of looking through every database and research paper she could to find out what Drakken might have done to the thief. Mostly Kim was hoping that it could be undone.

As it currently stood, Kim's attempts had proven useless. Nothing like what she witnessed was even physically possible according to what the cheerleader had discovered during her extensive research. Every book said that a life form with a complex muscle and bone structure i.e. a human being would never be able to simply get up from such terrible damage unless their metabolism and cell propagation level was out of control. However, even if that were the case it failed to explain anything regarding Shego's barrier, or how she was able to stand despite having a tank round pierce through her spine. Also, the fact that Shego already exhibited inhuman abilities due to that meteor accident years ago meant that most data she found pertaining to human alterations didn't even apply to her anyway.

_I'm not getting anywhere! _Kim raged internally.

Ever since the night Shego had wandered away from her, there had been no sighting of either Drakken or the former-sidekick-turned-science project. Wade while trying his very best was simply stumped when it came to finding anything that might reveal the blue scientist's current hideaway. With an uncharacteristic growl of frustration Kim lashed her arm out knocked the contents of her desk to the floor and aggravating her broken finger. The young woman did her best not to allow any tears to escape as she buried her face in her hands.

_Her body simply shouldn't be able to do what I saw it do! If Ron didn't swear he saw the same thing I'd think I was crazy. _She shook her head and sprawled forward on her desk using her arms as pillows.

_I'm probably looking in the wrong direction. Anything's possible and after all I've seen there must be some crazy explanation for Shego's body… Maybe it's aliens, or some kind of weird magic._ She smiled humorlessly at this random guessing. _Maybe she's been possessed by demons, I should hire a priest. _Kim would have laughed if she found it funny.

Kim found that she was trapped in a position that she normally never found herself in. Usually when faced with a problem no matter how severe she would charge forward without hesitation and attack it head on. Now she was in the exact opposite position; all she could do was wait and hope.

_Please be okay, Shego._

(Mayhem)

_So… I'm back again am I?_ Mayhem thought as she slowly parted her eyelids for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

It was just as she remembered. As expected, her body was unbearably stiff and sore as it had been the first time. Thankfully, with the knowledge of what was to occur, it was much easier for her to deal with her present situation when compared with the initial experience. As if on cue, her whole body began to tingle as dead nerve cells were forced to resume operation throughout her frame. Mayhem was almost thankful that she was prepared for what was to come. Almost.

After her vision cleared, Mayhem looked out and saw something actually were different then before. As far as she could tell, the color of the world had turned into nothing but differing shades of green and had a fishbowl quality to it making the view appear strange and stretched out. Rather than reclining backwards as she expected Mayhem's position was now reminiscent of standing upright rather than on a cold metal table. Despite that she was sure from the fact that her feet were not touching the floor that she was not standing. Slowly and cautiously she reached forward with her right hand, and quickly found her progress halted. Looking around, Mayhem put the pieces together and made sense of her surroundings (or as much sense as her situation allowed).

Near as the undead woman could tell, she was floating in some kind of glass tank filled with a thick green fluid. Several tubes were leading out of her limbs and torso connecting to the top and bottom of the cylinder from within. If she squinted, Mayhem could see a blurred image of who she figured was the Doctor working at some control station presumably for the operation of the cylinder. The scarred man would occasionally steal glances her way to apparently check on her progress.

At first Mayhem was unsure as to why she found herself floating in such a strange device, but after some thought the reason for it became obvious. Her wounds had been extensive, and unless she was mistaken, she doubted her regeneration abilities would function if she were not biologically active. This tube of gel she was suspended within was probably some form of crutch for her regen-system while she was inactive. After realizing this, Mayhem looked down curiously to see how far along her reconstruction had progressed.

Fully expecting to see a cavernous hole, Mayhem was almost delighted to see her left breast nearly fully formed in the wounds stead. She was surprised that the only evidence of that terrible injury was the tiny cuts slowly closing along the surface of her breast. Seeing as that particular wound was thankfully no longer an issue, she reached up to check the progress of her face. Her cheek was fully closed over her jaw and Mayhem could no longer feel any cuts or gauges either. Finally, judging the signals her eyes were sending her brain, they were back in one piece as well.

_I'm almost glad I have such a resilient body. It's like a machine; as long as I have the right tools I'll never be broken for long._

**_That's the spirit, Sweetheart. I happy to see your starting to get your sunny optimism back._ **

Mayhem wasn't sure how to feel about hearing from her mental roommate once again. She almost wished that whatever part of her brain the voice hid itself within had leaked out with her eye. However another part of Mayhem was somewhat glad to hear from the voice again. It tended to make things easier for her to deal with things. Also, considering her current position, the voice was the only real company that she had.

_I used to be a sunny optimist?_

_**Hell no! But you also weren't a mopey coward who did nothing but feel sorry for her.**_

_Like you would know…so what pray tell **did** I act like?_

_**Hah, well if you really want to know, you were the surliest queen-bitch the world has ever seen, and you were very proud of it. You didn't care about anyone but number one and never let anyone or anything get in the way of what you wanted.**_

_Sounds charming, like a sociopath. Maybe I'm better off now._

_…**You must be joking.**_ The voice certainly did not sound pleased.

_Of course I was, you think I enjoy this?_

_**Just checking.**_

Mayhem's thoughts were cut off when a familiar grating voice echoed out through the capsule. During her internal reverie she failed to notice the Doctor walk up and activate the intercom button. He was looking up at her through the thick glass and his expression was far from what would be considered pleased. Hearing his scratchy voice normally was enough to make her wince, but hearing it echo and bounce from within the confines of the capsule was a mild form of torture.

"How are you feeling, Mayhem?" The question coming from just about anyone else would have been voiced with concern but from Drakken it was clearly spoken more as a matter of checking the state of his "project". Regardless, she forced a response, surprised by how raw her throat sounded.

"I'm fine Doctor. It seems that I am nearly finished with my regeneration."

Drakken clicked his tongue and looked over his clipboard. Without bothering to look up at her he spoke again.

"Yes, I was quite surprised to see the state of you when you arrived back from combat. Such pathetic GJ losers shouldn't have even **scratched** you, what happened? When you arrived you had lost so much blood you underwent full shutdown! I had to jump-start your whole body all over again and waste valuable resources, not to mention more blood, just to have you burn it all away in the regen-tank! And on top of that you lost Kim Possible!"

_**What an ass! He never treated you like that before.**_

_He didn't? That's a surprise._

_**He wouldn't dare, not after what happened with the mind-control incident.**_

_What?_

_**Ancient history.**_

"I'm sorry Doctor; the possible girl interfered before I could finish off the enemy completely. I did however terminate ninety-eight percent of their forces." If he had bothered to listen the Doctor would have heard just how little Mayhem actually meant the words.

Regardless, this did little to satiate his wounded ego and he continued to march around yelling, flailing his arms, and basically having a tantrum that would have embarrassed a five-year old. After tiring himself out he visibly collected himself and turned in Mayhem's direction.

'Tomorrow I'm sending you out to an old… **associate** of mine. Give him the same treatment you gave Dementor, only this time I want you to bring the body back **intact**. It's about time I started phase two of my plans." He sneered. "Hopefully two can do-" He made eye contact with her, "-what one cannot."

_He wouldn't!_

Mayhem was beyond horrified. If the Doctor were planning what she thought he was, she would never forgive herself for helping him. He was mad on his own science, and there was nothing that Mayhem could do to stop him since he literally held her life in his tiny hands. As if to comfort her chaotic thoughts, the voice within her softly whispered.

_**Don't worry, Sweetheart. Help is coming.**_

Chapter 9: End


	10. Ice Blue

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 10: Ice Blue

Drakken sat back in his chair looking blankly at the charts that the computer at his desk was showing him. If his calculations were accurate Shego, or preferably Mayhem should be ready to be removed from the tank and put back on active duty. He looked over to where she floated, unmoving, neither conscious nor unconscious, somewhere in between the two states of being. Drakken had found in his research of Fang- of the first D.E.A.D. that they neither required nor were capable of sleep of any kind, and remained active as long as they were fully supplied with fresh blood. As the pale blue man pressed the enter key and watched the green fluid drain from the tank he wondered what it would be like to have so much time on his hands to work with without worry of sleep to interfere with things. He found the concept somewhat overwhelming (not that he slept much anymore).

Once the tank finally finished evacuating the neon green re-gel the glass of the tank sank down in the floor and the monitoring cables attached throughout Mayhem's body disconnected and retracted away as well. The tiny holes they left in her skin quickly closed. Drakken didn't bother to waste a glance in her direction as he handed her a thick black towel, which she accepted soundlessly.

"Dry yourself off and go get dressed, then report back to me." The undead woman nodded and walked off towards her quarters. This was the usual way of things. Neither Drakken nor Mayhem liked to be around one another for any great length of time, a fact which Drakken silently lamented.

_If she were Shego it wouldn't have to be this way. _He thought silently not for the first time. Drakken hated Mayhem, and if asked would admit it with casual honesty. To him, she was a walking perversion; a mockery of everything that Shego used to be and never would be again. Half of the reason he acted as cold as he did to the ex-thief was simply to get some kind of familiar reaction out of her. He almost wished she would slam him against a wall and ignite her hands threateningly and say to him in her proud clear voice, "Who the **hell** do you think you are telling me what to do? I will melt your face off if you even think about ordering me around like some dog **EVER AGAIN**!"

Of course that never happened. All the dark green woman would do is accept his orders no matter how rude and condescending he was when he gave them. After awhile, he simply lost interest in trying and decided to simply use her the way he would use any death-ray. His first mistake was treating her like a person, but she wasn't a person, not anymore. He had come to grips with that fact after her first gave her a transfusion and saw the look of weak subservience in her eye when he gave his ultimatum. It was reminiscent of a wounded animal.

When Drakken saw that look he immediately excused himself from the D.E.A.D. maintenance chamber and ran to the bathroom to vomit. He sometimes felt (as paranoid as it may seem) that this was Shego's way of getting back at him from bringing her from Death's cold clutches. However he soon understood how stupid an idea that was. For Shego to do such a thing would be a calculated psychological assault against him that (as far as he was concerned) was still being enacted. Such a calculated study in manipulation and torture would never have occurred to Shego. All she would have done was yell at him and kicked him in the genitals, probably many many times.

In the middle of his reverie he almost missed Mayhem walk up to him and speak his name to get his attention. He swiveled his chair around to face her but avoided eye contact. As far as the inventor was concerned her eyes were by far the most jarring and unsettling things about her. They were bleach-white with tiny pinpointed pupils and two black rings encircled each pupil like a bulls-eye or a targeting sight on a rifle. Every time he looked at her in those eyes he could feel his heart attempt to smash it way through his rib cage in some attempt to escape for cover.

"Dr. Drakken, I'm ready and at full activation. Your orders?" Her expression was locked in neutral as it always was.

"Alright Mayhem, I've inputted directions and details of your mission into the hover-pods computer, but the short version is this; your going to Tibet to a martial arts training ground up in the mountains. Your target is up there, probably training more monkey ninja or some other such nonsense." He ignored her brief look of confusion and continued.

"He's an old associate of mine and we've worked towards the same goals in the past, but that is as I've said in the **past**. I want you to find him, kill him, and bring back the body in as few pieces as possible. Just break his neck or strangle him or something clean like that. His defenses should be lighter than Dementor's so this should be pretty easy for you." He sighed and added, "Any questions?"

To Drakken's relief she had none. He watched her walk off towards the hanger and remembered when he used to catch himself staring at Shego when she wasn't looking. He didn't consider his frequent admiration of her body to be perverse at all considering any straight man would do the same or worse. At least he didn't raid girl's underwear drawers like his inept cousin. Mayhem however held no such allure. She was superficially attractive, in fact on the surface she was beautiful, but so were certain statues and paintings, and to Drakken aesthetics and beauty were two very different things. Shego was beautiful Mayhem was simply… artistically appealing.

When he heard the receding sound of the hover-pod's engine, Drakken stood and walked towards what appeared to be a plain bland wall next to the side of the lab. He moved aside a painstakingly hidden panel and typed in a numerical code on the keyboard. With a hiss of pressurized air escaping a door-sized section of the wall slid away revealing a large chamber resembling a chemistry lab/ torture chamber on the other side. Some kind of giant black metal tank was fixed into the far right wall and in the middle of exotic research equipment was a much smaller clear glass tank about the size of a container of bottled water.

Within the glass tank was what appeared to be some kind of chemical. The liquid was bluish-white like frosted ice and illuminated the entire lab with a chilling glow. Within the liquid floated a tiny crystalline structure. Cautiously Drakken reached forward and disconnected the container from its stand and looked down at the material within. The scientist always felt that it was looking back up at him when he did this. This substance was the basis for his future and if he could help it the future of "his" world. That fact alone made it something to be coveted and cherished despite its bizarre aura of malevolence.

Drakken reached into a small hidden compartment under the table and removed what appeared to be some kind of journal. The book was red and bound by a heavy padlock. This book contained his entire life since he felt that his life didn't truly begin until Shego died. That had been the event that birthed his current existence and it now defined him. Such events needed to be recorded for posterities sake if anything.

He placed the container back down on the table and unlocked the journal staring down at the first entry page and revisited the pain it supplied in abundance.

(The Journal)

_Journal Entry #01: Friday March the Sixteenth_

_My name is Dr. Drew Drakken Lipsky. My assistant and trusted companion is dead by my hands and from here I intend to start anew. It is here that my deepest thoughts are held and here that I intend to define my world. Let us begin then._

_Despite my loss I have allowed myself no period of mourning. Shego would have scoffed at such sentiments and I have chosen to respect that. Instead I have spent the day going over the beast that killed her. He called himself Fangoram and he is dead. Now the horror of the situation is that he died well before he killed her and now I intend to find out how to copy this phenomenon._

_Forgive me Shego… I will make it right._

_Journal Entry 02: Sunday March the Eighteenth_

_It took me several tries to find a cutting laser strong enough to cleanly open the beast up but I managed and now I can safely say that such a creature simply cannot exist. He (and I use the term loosely as he is apparently sexless due to the apparent amputation of such gender defining organs) is lacking in almost every organ, major or minor in his body and from the scar tissue it seems that they were all purposely removed. He has lungs for speech, and that's about it. Some unusual form of muscle tissue fills most of the gaps within his abdominal cavity and something else… His veins, heart and arteries have also been removed, basically his __**entire**__ circulatory system. In its stead is some kind of mechanical equivalent almost like a plumbing system only for blood with the heart replaced by a mechanical pump and junctions where all the major arteries would be. The blood found within the system is old and coagulated like used motor oil. Blood is apparently just a fuel source for this creature._

_I am discouraged, as I cannot find what animated this creature. The physiology is simply impossible and while I assumed that the machine within was the secret, it was merely the equivalent of a car's fuel tank and not the engine that makes it run. I have also found no force field generator among the creature's things but how can that be? Apparently that shield is some form of biological function as strange as that may sound._

_I wonder what would happen if I changed out his blood supply? Would he wake up? I dare not risk it. _

_I will continue my search. Be patient, Shego._

_Journal Entry #03: Tuesday March the Twenty-Seventh_

_After many days of hopeless vivisection I"VE FOUND IT! I was beginning to fall into despair. After so many sleepless nights and guilt ridden restless sleeps, I have finally found it by accident. The secret was hidden deep within the creature's cells and I have found that after extraction I can propagate the… "Substance". Its applications are limitless! With it I will be a god among men. Shego, I did it!_

_But the Substance, I felt like it was looking at me through the microscope… maybe my exhaustion is affecting me._

_Journal Entry #04: April Thursday the Fifth_

_I have cultivated enough of the "Substance" and now have begun outfitting Shego for her swiftly approaching regenesis. Soon she will stand at my side and we will rule this world. Admittedly there will be some adjustments she will need to make._

_I felt somewhat conflicted when I cut into her body to begin preparation. First I removed all the unnecessary organs if for nothing else to lighten her body weight. She doesn't need those parts anyway. What need does a person have with a stomach if they cannot eat, or a uterus if they can no longer bear children? I've disposed of them all. Then I installed her mechanical circulatory system. That was a tricky business involving all of my concentration as I hade to line up that entire set of cables and graft them throughout her brain and muscles. I have since stitched her up and cleaned her body._

_As much as I regretted it I have been forced to cut off her beautiful hair or at least most of it. It was simply too covered in dry bloody clumps to be salvageable. I hope it grows back, I was very fond of it…_

_I've set up every piece of monitoring equipment I possess in order to record what occurs tomorrow when I implant the Substance. I imagine it will be beyond my imagination._

_Journal Entry #05: April Friday the Sixth_

_It was all so perfect! What could have gone so wrong? Damn it! Damn it and damn her!_

_It was going so well… I made sure all the equipment was working and then (for my own safety) strapped Shego down. I then wasted no time in my excitement injecting the Substance into her and waited with rapt attention._

_At first there was nothing…and then a seizure shook through her body with enough force to rip several of her restraints free from the table. Her muscles spasmed through her skin and her eyes flew open as her body shook. The equipment was out of control as it did it's best to analyze and record the changes._

_Her body was undergoing a transformation far deeper then on a cellular level. Muscle, skin and bone were being converted into a totally unknown form of biological tissue the likes of which I've never seen before. It is easily strong enough to withstand even standard firearms. Her fingernails lengthened darkened and sharpened as did her gritted teethe. I began to worry as her skin, hair and eyes began to change. Colors lightened and darkened. Her pupils constricted and color within them died away. After a period of roughly ten minutes the process finished and her eyes shut once again._

_I then took her body and moved her to the newly completed transfuse-seat. It took awhile to complete this device, and obtaining the blood was expensive, but worth it. When I set her within the confines of her throne and activated it I watched as Phase two of the process occurred. Now she would have the strength needed to move and act and __**think**_

_The process went smoothly and the device easily plugged the needles in the junctions under her skin despite the toughness of her new flesh. Slowly the precious life giving liquid filled her body and the machine automatically released her the moment the transfusion was finished. She still seemed out of sorts so I moved her back to the table and waited. I waited for her to realize that she was alive again; I waited for her to call me Dr. D again. It seems waiting is all I'm capable of now._

_After an hour her eyes finally opened and she sat up disoriented looking around in confusion but I was so happy, so thrilled that words do not begin to describe it. James Possible mocked me once calling me a failure of an inventor. He can keep his rockets I created life itself. The she turned to me and for the first time since her death our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat with anticipation._

_She had no idea who I was; it was all over her face. It was as though she were looking at a stranger._

_I escaped within my mind to find any reason why she would not remember me. I found some excuse; I though maybe being left in a freezer for a month necrotized her fragile brain cells and left her with brain damage. If that were the case then it would only be a matter of time before she was Shego again but it is still such a burden on me to hear her ask me who I am._

_I know it was petty but I felt so hurt by her words that I believe I acted less then civil to her. I couldn't bring myself to call her Shego, not yet at least. I've decided to call her Mayhem for now. When she falls back into the swing of things I will tell her what her __**true**__ name is._

_I hope she is Shego again soon…_

_Journal Entry #06: April Friday the Ninth_

_She isn't Shego… I was wrong the whole time. She doesn't remember me because there is nothing for her to remember. Her attitude and mannerisms are completely alien to me. _

_At first when I had Shego fight in the simulator she was a disgrace to Shego's memory! Her movements were sluggish and for the most part her first session in the simulator did nothing but show me how her shield worked and demonstrate her durability since she could do little else but take hits. _

_From what I have gathered it is my theory that the Substance in such a way for It's own survival altered Shego's body. It made her stronger and tougher so she couldn't die easily and take it down with her, and that strange barrier… so amazing. The Substance within her appears to generate it using mental cues from Mayhem to know when the defensive measure should be erected. I honestly have no idea what kind of energy it generates to block physical force but whatever it is, it is sadly not infallible. There are limits to the amount of impacts it can block before that layer of defense completely breaks down. Mayhem would then need to find an area of cover for at least four seconds of inactivity for her to gather the energy needed to re-engage the barrier._

_During her third bout in the simulators she used her powers for the first time since her regenesis, and even that warranted shock. Her neon green flames are now black and far more lethal then I could have ever imagined. She instinctively through a plasma bolt at one of my training droids and reduced it to molten slag which was not unusual, but the plasma then streaked well across the training ground and melted its was through the reinforced doors before finally stopping. Apparently the substance has intermingled with __**all**__ aspects of her body. I wonder… it is my theory that her brothers glows would have taken on a similar deathly pallor if I were to bring them back as well, fascinating._

_Eventually she began to improve and get her bearing back but even in moments of great skill, her movements… I do not claim to know the slightest thing about martial arts but having worked with Shego for over three years I can at least tell when someone fights like her. Mayhem doesn't, she dodges when Shego would have blocked, punches when Shego would have kicked, etc. It was almost as though she was teaching herself to fight all over again._

_After awhile however, she began asking me questions. Things she SHOULDN"T NEED TO ASK! She should know why she has her powers and she should know who __**she is**__. I will tell her nothing. If she isn't Shego, then she has no right to enquire into Shego's life. _

_Journal Entry #06: April Friday the Thirteenth_

_She has defied me for the first time and in the beginning I was thrilled. Shego defied me all the time defiance defined her. Well before now Shego would have thrown me into a window for my treatment of her, and that's just for starters._

_Mayhem though uses passive aggression. PASSIVE AGGRESSION! She simply refused to train anymore until I tell her what she wants to know. I was almost impressed that she did even that…_

_But she threw it all away when she fell to the floor begging and pleading with me to help her when her body began to undergo shutdown. Shego would never have begged for anything. I wanted to throw up. Later after I gave her her first active transfusion I actually did throw up._

_I can't take this anymore. If it weren't such a waste of resources I'd have thrown her into the fusion furnace by now and used someone else that I didn't recognize or care about. Mayhem wears Shego's face like a mask and it disgusts me._

_Tomorrow I'm sending her on her first mission. It should be a nice trial by fire. I wonder if that arrogant tin-can wearer Dementor will see this coming. He shouldn't have laughed. He shouldn't have mocked me and cheated me as he did. Now he will pay and the world shall witness my fiery second coming, and Mayhem will be my sword. _

_She is good for little else._

(The Lab)

Drakken slammed the journal shut with enough force to shake the table. They were all bad memories that he recorded in that book that he would rather forget. Despite that he kept returning to it, and reading it, and adding to it. It was a guilty drug for him to spill his thoughts into the tome. When the book finally filled to capacity with his angry musings Drakken intended to burn it and start one anew.

The blue inventor once again turned his attention towards the Substance and lost himself within It's cold light. He wondered what it was, and where it came from. It was after all his prize for allowing Shego to die, the world's weird little way of balancing the scale of karma.

When Mayhem returned which was only a matter of time, it would be a steady countdown towards his greatness and the fall of the natural world. He imagined armies of his D.E.A.D. walking side-by-side razing everything in their path until the world begged him to stop throwing itself at his feet. Then he would be god-king of the wretched planet but even when he achieved it, Drakken knew that there would be one last obstacle he could never cross.

Shego would never be his queen.

Chapter 10: End


	11. End Simian

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

**A colored drawing of Mayhem is available here at: deviantart DOT COM SLASH deviation SLASH 61026408 SLASH**

Chapter 11: End Simian

_I wonder how cold it really is…_That was the first actively conscious thought Mayhem had as she scaled upward mere inches at a time. The snow and ice struck out against the undead woman as she crawled up the vertical peak almost as if Mother Nature herself was trying to cast the late-thief down upon the jagged rocks below. It was likely because her very existence was a gross offence to the natural order of things. However, despite the blizzards best attempts it was unable to keep the dark woman from steadily rising up the summit, handhold-by-handhold, foothold-by-foothold.

The mountain in question was an uncharted lifeless wasteland of black jagged stone and sharp icy ledges. A perpetual blizzard rotated around the knife like peak with full intent of sending all but the most determined down to their unsung death. Mayhem wasn't sure what monks saw fit to build such a fortification but whoever it was, they must have been damn antisocial.

She knew that the only reason she was able to accomplish such an impossible climb was due to her thrice-cursed body. The bone chilling cold could not reach her, fatigue could not way down upon her, and the crashing wind could not sway her. She lacked any and all mortal failings. Whenever her body could not find a suitable handhold, her strength was more than sufficient to merely drive her claws deep into the rocky surface. Honestly, sometimes she was unsure how much she should loathe her new body when it afforded her such luxuries as this.

Before Mayhem set out up this nameless peak, she had exhaustedly gone over all information on her target that the Doctor had supplied her with. There were obvious gaps in the information provided but she figured that such things only meant that the Doctor was sure they were inconsequential for her to complete the assignment. However as far as she was concerned, what was in the report barely made enough sense as it was.

Her target, an English member of the aristocracy, named Lord Montgomery Fiske, was apparently a very obsessive breed of psychopath. All data within the report seemed to indicate a borderline perverse obsession with monkey and ape life to the degree that he had himself biologically altered into some kind of man-ape hybrid. On top of that, he seemed to be a master of some obscure form of Kung Fu, but the details on that particular aspect of her target were left little more than an outline. In regard to his defenses, all the report detailed were this; Monkey's trained in martial arts, melee armaments. She wasn't sure how she should react to such obviously exaggerated details.

Mayhem recognized her target's photo as the apish man whose mug shot was in Kim's desk drawer, just as Dementor had been. As she mentally went over the data Mayhem wondered how many more familiar faces she would be sent to dispatch. This man could apparently defend himself… against average opponents. He would afford her little to no challenge whatsoever. Really it wasn't fair in her opinion, she doubted anyone could stop her, except the Doctor. For him she was a slave as she had always been and always would be.

_It doesn't really matter though. I'm climbing up this hellish wall so I can kill someone that for all I know I've never even met. I don't deserve freedom._

She wondered silently why that voice hadn't made itself known on the entire trip up. Lately it had been somewhat of a constant, always criticizing her and judging her. It was like a foul-mouthed conscious. Her own little Jiminy Cricket. As much as she was loath to admit it, she really was very lonely, and just wished there was something for her besides the icy peak that she was currently traversing.

**_You don't want to hear what I have to say, Sweetheart._ **Said the voice in tired frustration. She hadn't heard it sound so cynical since the time she knocked out Kim Possible. That had not been her proudest moment.

_So, you are here. I'm surprised you've kept your mouth shut. You know what I'm about to do, and I doubt you're going to tell me you approve._ She said to her internal companion bemusedly. Honestly, Mayhem always felt that her mental roommate didn't deserve to be on the high horse that it enjoyed the view from. It was just something about it's comments that made her think that she wasn't anywhere near a what one would consider a "good girl" itself.

**_Tch, I don't approve._ **The voice said sharply. It appeared to be less than pleased with Mayhem's lack of dedication to it's advice. **_You're a senseless moron for doing this. All those lost lives and not even for yourself. You plan to kill this guy for no reason at all._ **If it had a body, Mayhem was almost positive that the voice would have just crossed it's arms and averted it's gaze.

_I have a reason, it's this or death. You want me to be a martyr too? _Mayhem asked bitterly. She was honestly questioning her judgment not to mention her sanity for inciting a conversation with the annoying figment. Loneliness really did make people do stupid things. As she thought this she drove her claws several inches deep into a frost covered black stone and hauled her body further up.

_**Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for watching out for Number One, that's how you used to live your entire life. But this is still beyond even my admittedly loose morals. **_The voice was getting impatient lately, that much was obvious. Sometimes, Mayhem wondered if she was only trying to spite it in her actions.

_So, are you going to lay into me how all life is precious then, that this Lord Fiske has friends and family that'll be sad if he dies?_ She asked full of bitter cynicism. How dare this disembodied specter presume to judge her? No one had a right to pass judgment on her since no one was in her position. She dared anyone to handle her "life" any better.

**_God no! Fiske is a prick whom no one will shed a tear over and I DO think some people deserve it. But not for crappy reason's like this! Not just because some blue loser told you to!_**That took Mayhem aback. She didn't know how to respond to that. The worst part was she agreed with it. She really had nothing against Lord Fiske but she still found herself climbing.

_I'm sorry, but who knows… Maybe he'll be the one to kill **me**._ It was meant to sound cynical but unconsciously it came out hopeful.

_**You should know by now, Sweetheart. You can't be beaten; you're still the best. **_Their internal reverie was suddenly cut short as they began to near the edge of the peak where the temple was supposed to reside; at least she hoped it resided there. She was going to be damn pissed off if it turned out that she climbed the wrong mountain. As she looked up at the edge she saw a tiny brown figure look down at her before bolting off.

_A monkey?_ Mayhem asked in confusion.

_**No, **_said the voice in all seriousness,** _a sentry._**

(The Temple Interior)

In the dark, Monkey Fist searched for the _Edge_.

It had always been the subject of his endless pursuits, to find that damnable _Edge_ over the world. The Edge was that little handhold just slightly above others on the wall of destiny that would bring him above the licentious masses and prove to the world his utter unquestionable magnificence. The mystical art of _Tai Shing Pek Kwar_ was merely the instrument he used to search out for that Edge but he understood there were other methods. For some, the Edge was money, for others their chosen form of Edge was lust and physical desire, and for most their Edge was merely a want for an easier worry-free existence. However, the simple life was not in Monkey Fist's design.

_I was destined for great things, and I intend to collect!_

It sickened him that Stoppable had found the Edge before he did. The blond simpleton had obtained what was rightfully his and he didn't even appreciate it! Fist worked his entire life towards that one goal of mystic definable proof that in the end he was right, he was better, all should humbly bow their heads in his shining presence! But no, out of nowhere an idiot of expressionless **magnitude** waltzes into his intricate design and fouls it up beyond recognition… that disgusting rodent pet of his adding insult to grievous injury. How sick was it that his greatest enemy was the sidekick of a teenage cheerleader, and not even a **good** sidekick!

The lotus blade wasn't meant for one such as him! Ron Stoppable hadn't squandered the family fortune on drastic bio-reconstruction. Ron Stoppable hadn't spent countless hours in total solitude self-teaching himself a martial art to the point of mastery. The blond buffoon didn't spend dozens of sleepless nights training everyday simians into battle-hardened Ninja agents, or even search the world over for ancient Japanese scrolls with which to unlock the ultimate representation of his achievements. The lotus blade was meant for Monkey Fist, he who obsessed and coveted the ancient weapon for years and not some damned fool who continued to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was not fair! In the dark the Aristocrat's anger was simmering to a boiling point.

_All of my hard work, all of my countless hours of study and dedication**, ruined!** No matter what I do, no matter what I try, no matter what I give up to obtain it, Ron Stoppable is there to** ruin it!** In the face of his buffoonish grin all of my attempts are rendered meaningless, making a mockery of my very **life!**_

_**FUCK YOU**, RON STOPPABLE! Until the day you die at my hands and I grind your bones to fine powder, **FUUUUCK YOU!!!**_

He sat in the deepest darkest chamber in the ancient Tibetan temple. Fist's body was in a state of deep concentrated meditation or at least attempted to be. He quietly sat in the standard lotus position on top of a small cushion. Mentally he was deep within himself doing his best to search out the mystic energies bonded to his life-force to find that one new method in which to defeat his rival in the sacred art. However, no matter how he tried, his mind would become overcome with spite and anger and he would lose his grasp on the power coursing through his body. This caused him to become even more furious and out of synch with the divine and the vicious cycle would continue.

He hoped that coming to this ancient hallowed holy ground, he would be able to overcome his mortal failings and bask in its accumulated psychic energies. He wished it would calm his raging heart and clear his mind revealing his answer before him. Apparently he was mistaken, all the work he took to get here and bring his highly trained simian forces along with him proved to be for naught. He felt just as empty within these cold stone halls as he ever did.

Monkey Fist didn't want to admit it, but he was out of ideas.

His inner reverie was broken when the temple doors burst open and one of his Ninja dashed forward on all fours. Fist recognized the little shinobi immediately as Taki, a small macaque and the captain of his guards. Fist was suddenly on mental alert. His Ninja never disturbed his meditation, he had harshly trained them and they knew the rules, Taki especially. Taki was a protégé among all the other monkeys Fist had trained and thus made the leader of the others; he would never intrude upon his Master without good reason.

Taki ran up to Fist where he sat and bowed. To any outsider the display would have appeared ridiculous but Fist reveled in the loyalty and the respect provided. It seemed only those fascinating creatures knew for whom to dedicate themselves. The simian overlord knew that the little Ninja was not going to report without permission so Monkey Fist spoke first.

"Well", he asked in annoyance, "What is it?

The little monkey looked up and Monkey Fist could tell it was startled. He had trained them extensively and as such, Taki should have overcome such useless feelings but Fist understood that training could only combat instinct to such a degree.

**-**Master!, enemy approaches, single woman, not normal!**-** Taki shrieked in a language only Fist understood among his human peers.

Fist frowned. How could anyone be able to climb up the mountain to reach him? It had taken Monkey Fist himself over three days of steady perseverance to reach the summit. He was proud of his own ability to do such a difficult task not to mention overseeing his Ninja forces, but even Fist was under no delusion that he was only able to accomplish such a feat because of his own unusual physiology. To think that anyone could reach him up there was unbelievable.

Only one person he could think of could accomplish such a task. "Was it a young girl with red hair?" Fist asked in frustration. For some reason he doubted it, the temple had been abandoned for over three hundred years, and he hadn't committed any illegal acts in the last six months. Kim Possible had no reason to apprehend him, unless she had changed to an offensive policy, which he highly doubted. The teen was to much of a goody-goody in his opinion.

Taki shook his head frantically. -No, Master! Dark woman, bad woman! No smell, **not normal!-**

_Bad woman? Shego? Did that moron Drakken send Shego up here? Why? _Monkey Fist shook his head and looked over at the little figure. "How close is she to the temple?"

-Close!- Taki shrieked -Really close, up to top already, here already! She scary!- Monkey fist slammed his paw onto the floor.

"**Impossible**, no human, Shego included could make that climb so quickly! I don't care what kind of freak she is, I refuse to believe that Drakken's little whore could get up here without you noticing!" Taki jumped back at his master's angry display. Remembering his place, the monkey bowed his head.

-What we do master?- Taki asked while cowering. Fist stood up and brushed the ancient cobwebs around him off. He had been in that position for the last six hours and in such an old structure, dust tended to settle in sheets.

"I'll meet her outside, bring everyone." He began to walk on all fours towards the temple entrance to see what Drakken's sidekick wanted. When he reached the edge of the doorway he stopped. "Oh, and Taki? See to it that the next time someone approaches, you alert me before they're at my _bloody door_!" Taki lowered his head and nodded, before running off to gather his comrades.

(Ten Minutes Later: Temple, Outer Sanctum)

The Lord of Apes pulled on a thick fur lined coat, and fur lined gloves for all four of his paws. It was nearly twenty degrees below and he would never risk frostbite with his precious paws. On top of that, if he was to meet with Drakken's assistant like he thought he wanted to look his best. He would never admit it but he found the thief quite appealing in a purely sexual way although he was far too disciplined in his thinking to be swayed by a mere woman, especially a horrible green mutant, like Shego. He pushed open the heavy stone doors and stepped out into the flaying cold.

Monkey Fist stared in confusion at the figure that stood twenty feet before him. He was honestly not sure if his minion was correct in saying it was a woman, because as far as Fist was concerned there was no way to really tell. The figure in front of him was fully draped in an inky black mantel with the hood up. The cloak stopped just mid thigh revealing gold-colored armored boots that wouldn't seem out of place on either gender. Stray off-white hairs trailed out the dark mouth of the hood and fluttered with the cold tundra winds.

Fist frowned, he had been sure that the person was going to be Shego, probably relaying Drakken's newest half-cocked scheme that he wanted the Monkey Master's assistance with. The fact that this wasn't Shego threw Fist's assumptions into disarray. He didn't recognize this person and he hated above all others to be in a state of disadvantage. Monkey Fist trained and studied all his life to be rid of such insecurities.

He noticed that his Monkey Ninja were all standing around the figure trembling in their tiny shinobi blacks, there grips on their kodachi and shuriken were unsteady and quivering. All of them were trained in the deadly arts and their number was in the low hundred, and yet something about this woman was setting their natural animal instincts on edge. Apparently all of Fist's strict training was the only thing keeping them from running down the mountain for cover. He was upset about that; it meant he needed to try much harder with their conditioning in the future.

"Who sent you, was it Drakken?" Monkey Fist shouted at the cloaked mystery-woman. If she wasn't going to start the conversation, then he would. He was a very formal British gentleman after all, and had a very strict upbringing when it came to dealing with the fairer sex. He merely chose to ignore it at times.

All the figure did was nod slightly after a short moment of consideration. Fist frowned and shouted back to her.

"Whatever he's proposing, tell him I refuse! I have no interest to work with that no-talent hack!"

The figure remained silent for a moment but then spoke out. Her voice was a metallic rasp that no human vocal chords should be able to emulate. "You are Lord Montgomery Fiske, correct?"

Monkey Fist snarled and shouted back at her. "That's not my name anymore you ignorant trollop! My name is Monkey Fist now, master of the ancient art of _Tai Shing Pek Kwar_! Get it right!"

There was another pause before the figure nodded. "Acknowledged."

Suddenly Fist understood what he was dealing with, he had heard of these things before from other villains over the net. This was one of those Bebe-things Drakken made years ago. He figured he had learned from his mistakes but no not him. He must have been pretty desperate if he was going back to failed past plans. It figured that he would ask for a far superior villain like Monkey Fist's help. Also, it made perfect sense that his simian minion's would be so thrown by the figure before them. They had never encountered robots before, so their tiny monkey brains probably had trouble rationalizing it.

Monkey Fist never trusted machines, or science to such a degree as others. When one has delved into the ancient alchemic sciences or mystic techniques of the ancient world, modern technology seems strangely incomplete and unreliable. Drakken never understood that, neither did Dementor for that matter. Last Fist checked the German

Scientist was killed in some kind of explosion or something. As far as Monkey Fist was concerned, the man deserved it for misplacing his loyalties in his limited inventions.

"So," he said smugly, "Drakken's sent one of his famous toy-soldiers out to get me? How pathetic. Go back and tell your master that I refuse to waste my time on whatever he's plotting."

The machine didn't move, and remained staring at him. Fist began to lose his temper. "Didn't you hear me, you stupid over-grown calculator? I said leave! Or I'll be send you back to that dolt one gear at a time!"

This time the figure did speak and she sounded annoyed. "I an not a robot. I have been sent to retrieve you. Your cooperation is not mandatory to my assignment." Her voice took on a slight edge that was not lost on the demented aristocrat.

"You're here to kidnap me then?" He asked, with his voice shaking slightly. Something about this woman threw his well-honed senses off. She shook her head and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm here to kill you, Lord Monkey Fist." She spread her arms outside the confines of her mantel revealing ten long gleaming golden claws. His loyal minion's and he all took a reflexive step back at the sight. He remembered himself and he stood up as tall as he could manage to seem unperturbed.

"Drakken's finally decided to grow a pair, eh? Well you'll find that beating me is a little more trouble then you thought! Monkey Ninja, get her!" None of his minion's so much as twitched. All the tiny furred heads turned to their master with frightened pleading eyes. He returned their look with fury. "Didn't you hear me, you blubbering apes? I said get her, **now!**"

This time, almost grudgingly the dozens of monkey warriors under his tutelage rushed forward to him their assigned opponent. Kodachi were raised high, and shuriken were set loose all aimed for the clawed figure. Any opponent would have been cut to ribbons in mere seconds; Monkey Fist could hardly contain the mirth building in him at the thought. His expression changed for the exact opposite when their weapons were redirected by a flash or red energy.

Soon the mountain air was alive with their screams.

(Middleton: Same Time)

Kim sat up from where she was lying on her desk when she suddenly heard her Kimmunicators ring tone fill the room. The redhead then frantically hit the call button hoping for good news. She had nearly exhausted all of her research material trying to learn all she could about Shego's "condition" but nothing she studied seemed sufficient to explain what the hero witnessed that night. She looked into theoretical science, and other examples of technology but nothing was able to give her any clues whatsoever. In Ron's opinion his best friend was being borderline obsessive, and maybe she was, but she couldn't let such injustices happen to anyone if she could help it. She would repeat "Anything's possible for a Possible" to herself when everything seemed overwhelming.

She quickly hit the accept button and was greeted by Wade's smiling face. The boy was grinning like a kid in a candy store which caused Kim to feel damnable hope.

"Wade, what's the stitch?" She said with excitement. Wade smirked.

"Ok Kim, guess what! Last week I input a program into all weather and surveillance satellites I could find to lock onto any heat signatures of a particular quality, which was difficult considering I had to hack into several foreign government mil-" Kim cut him off in barely contained frustration.

"The short of it, Wade!" She said in exasperation. She was happy he was excited but she was already on the edge of her seat.

"Oh, sorry." He said sheepishly. "Okay, well I had those satellites focus on the heat signature Mayhem or Shego or whoever used on Global Justice last week. So the short of it is this… That signature just exploded all over this mountain range in Tibet! Were talking GJ massacre all over again!"

Kim stood up tossed her Kimmunicator on the bed and suddenly began to pull on her mission clothes. Without looking at the Kimmunicator she shouted out, "Tell me you have a ride for me, Wade." She said as she changed tops. The young computer nerd turned his head away so he didn't look at anything on Kim he wasn't supposed to all the while blushing.

"Uh… Yeah, um, I did, you should be there in," He pulled on his collar to get some air, "-in about half an hour." He said while trying to keep from looking. "Mr. Sekis from that jewelry store incident should be out in front of your house in two minutes."

Kim hissed and hoped that she would arrive in time. The last incident with Shego in that horribly wounded state had been a scar on her dignity and she would not allow for a repeat. She was a hero and dammit, she was going to stop Drakken now and help fix whatever Drakken did to the Thief. That vision of how miserable Shego looked the last time as she walked away was seared permanently into the redhead's memory and kept her from sleeping during most nights.

"Kay, Wade, Keep me in touch with all developments." Wade nodded and watched as Kim hung up the connection. He wondered what caused her to be so intense about all of this. Her actions were beginning to worry him.

(Outside the Possible Residence: Same Time)

Kim jumped from her window and ran out front, just in time for a red convertible to drive up. Without breaking stride she jumped in its passenger side window and just like that the car screeched off. Had Kim been in a usual state of mind, she would have noticed the non-descript black sedan pull out from behind a driveway and follow after her. The driver inside the black car made sure that the red convertible always stayed within sight, a single brown eye never straying from the redhead visible through the window. A toothy grin severed across the driver's face.

Chapter 11: End


	12. Life, Death, and Betrayal

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 12: Life, Death, and Betrayal

Monkey Fist couldn't believe what he was seeing, for the simple fact that it was over far too quickly for him to follow exactly what had happened. At one moment several dozen of his finest and most highly trained monkey ninja lunged forward to put an end to the mysterious temple intruder and the next there was nothing but black fire and screaming. Fist took several reflexive steps back to avoid the intense heat from the dark pyre as a silhouette ducked and weaved within the flames. Golden claws would dart out and grab any simian unlucky enough to be within reach. Victims were squeezed between the golden claws until a sickening wet crunch could be heard. Blood and entrails fell wet to the frost-covered floor by the pound. Other more lucky ninja were merely incinerated down to the bone, leaving nothing but a charred stick-figure skeleton that would be then carried away as ash by the cruel tundra winds. Inside the black bonfire the intruder appeared to almost be dancing as she shredded wave after wave of Ninja sent to end her life.

The monkey master couldn't understand why whenever one of his ninja had a clear opening to strike their weapon it would bounce away before managing to cleave into the skin of the target. She seemed to be able to counter every strike with some flash of the same red energy she displayed in the initial attack. It was as if she was surrounded and guarded on all sides by some invisible force. Despite the fury of her assault she seemed to be in no hurry to slow down. After merely ten minutes barely a fraction of Fist's forces remained and by then instinct had taken over. The remaining simians screeched for their very lives and scattered as quickly as they could, ignorant of the fact that there was nothing but icy death for hundreds of miles in every direction.

"No, you fools! Stop! Don't run away!" Fist shouted desperately, but his words fell on deaf ears.

The dark woman watched analytically as the small warriors fled. After some silent deliberation she brought her right fist in front of her face and began to concentrate. Fist's eyes widened as he saw wisps of sable light begin to pull and twist out of the ether and build and weave within her open palm and between her golden claws until finally a bright and shining black sphere roughly the size of a baseball remained. Small flickers of swirling black energy occasionally crackled and surged over its smooth surface. Without pause she then turned her gaze to the disappearing targets, and in one swift motion whipped the unstable sphere of black light at the center to the fleeing group of monkeys.

Taki, who headed the group barely, had time to turn around and see the projectile before it hit the ground in front of him. Instantly the ball expanded in horrible glory, like an eruption of hell itself. The poor creatures caught in the explosion were either burned away to virtually nothing like Taki, or blown to pieces from the rapidly expanding heat and air pressure. The sudden release of heat meeting the below-freezing temperatures of the tundra caused the snow to instantly evaporate shrouding the temple grounds in a boiling shroud of steam.

Through his stupor Fist felt something hard hit him in the chest, shaking him from his stunned silence. He stiffly inclined his head downwards to see what the offending object was. The object laid at his feet was a smoking skeletal fist clutched tightly around a melted kodachi-handle. The Monkey-Lord recognized the armguard partially fused with the arms bones. It had been a gift Fist had given Taki as a way for his best student to display his authority over his brethren. Now all that remained of the simian clan was the two or three running down the mountain to a much slower death by frostbite.

_Taki… you, you're all… _Suddenly remembering his situation he looked up at the cold eyes of his assailant, backing up suddenly when he realized how close to him she now was. While the remains of his forces distracted the aristocrat the woman had closed the distance between them until little more the fifteen feet of space remained.

"You! What the hell **are** you?" He shouted at the monster in front of him. The steam her last attack had created obscured her image but he could still make out her outline among the smoke and falling snow.

"Nobody."

He sneered at how casually blasé her tone was to him in even after brutally killing almost everyone he had spent over three years raising and training. She didn't care in the slightest, that much was painfully apparent. Her damnable hood was still obscuring her face but as she was much closer than previously, Fist got a clear look at the figure within the folds of that ebony mantel. She wore a tight two-piece that alternated the colors green and black chaotically, and separated at the midriff. A twisted ring of scar tissue was painfully visible encircling the flesh of her green waist. At the sight Fist's mouth suddenly went dry, and his eyes widened in a mix of fear and shock.

"Y-you _are_ Shego! What the hell does Drakken want with me?" He asked in a voice a slightly higher pitch than he intended. She stopped walking when he said her name, but a moment later resumed her steady pace towards him.

"No, I'm nobody, like I said earlier. I'm little more than fire and mayhem." Her claws curled into jagged fists. "As for you, I told you already. I'm here to kill you, cleanly if possible… then bring your corpse to the Doctor. From there, who knows?"

Monkey Fist had heard enough. Without preamble or hesitation he turned and bolted on all fours towards the mouth of the temple, he didn't even feel the hard ice and stone under his knuckles as he ran. _She's a monster! She's here to kill me. Well bugger to that! I am Lord Monkey Fist! I won't ever die, let alone at the hands of one of Drakken's monster freaks!_

As he dashed through the mouth of the temple entrance he stole a glance behind him. The monster-woman hadn't increased the speed of her pursuit even by a fraction. She continued that infuriatingly casual pace as she marched after him. Step by step she approached, her arms were at her sides and thin wisps of black energy crackled and swirled between her fingers. The image was reminiscent of a viper coiling for a single deadly strike.

Having seen more than enough, Fist wasted no time slamming shut the heavy two-foot thick stone doors, and locking in the iron latches that sealed it. He understood that his actions were little more than a comfort but if he wanted to save his own hide he needed time to think. He turned and mindlessly ran, past every ancient chamber and past every forgotten corner. The master of _Tai Shing Pek_ _Kwar_'s thoughts were in utter turmoil as he ran and did his best to lengthen the small amount of time he had left in this world.

_Maybe… maybe it's just because my ninja were too weak? That's it; I bet that they just weren't properly equipped to handle a skilled opponent. I mean… __**I**__ could have beaten them all, I am a master of a very prestigious and difficult martial art, and no one alive can claim to exceed my skills. _He laughed and shook his head, but never slowed down his fleeing pace.

_If it came down to it, I bet I could best her in single combat! She's just a woman after all; a freak monster wom- _He frowned bitterly as though he just took a swig of canola oil. _Oh whom the hell am I even kidding! I can't fight that monster; I don't even know what that thing is! All I can do is run and hide like a coward. Why can't this thrice-damned temple have a back exit? This is a game of cat and mouse and I'm the bloody mouse!_ He raked his brain of every option at his disposal as he ran for his life. Fist found his lack of possibilities unsettling at best.

_Okay, I'm all alone in an ancient Tibetan tomb and a fiery monster is tr- _His thoughts hit a sudden snag and he skidded to a halt, lost his balance and landed hard on his right shoulder. It was hard to bring only two limbs to a dead stop, let alone four after all. _I'm all alone… Taki, Maka, Tikalli, everyone… She killed them all, didn't even let them run. That bitch! That freak! How dare she do such horror… Monstrous whore, I won't forgive her, I'll never forgive her! I swear to god I'll find some way to tear her limb from limb!_

He remembered stealing and gathering every one of his monkeys, raising the younger ones from infancy, teaching and feeding them. He spoke to them and when necessary reassured and comforted the frightened ones. He taught them the one thing that the aristocrat held dear, and day by day earned their respect as one of their kind, but greater, someone who they could follow without hesitation. His goals were selfish and they knew that but they followed him regardless, him! They could have easily run off at any time but no, they chose to remain with him and serve him without question. But now, in one fiery night the ones who were his responsibility, the only creatures the Lord Montgomery Fist could claim to care even a little about were all dead. They had been torn apart by some monster one by one and they were now dead and gone. They died and it was because they were loyal to him and following his orders.

Suddenly his rage evaporated as quickly as it formed and was just as quickly replaced by a cocktail of shame and sorrow. _I'm the one that told them to attack her, and they knew better. They knew that to do so was tantamount to suicide but they still did it! Why did they do it? God dammit! _Ironically, it took this turn of events for the monkey master to stop lamenting his rivalry with Stoppable. At that moment the blond teen was as far from his thoughts as he'd been since Fist met the boy.

_What do I have now? Nothing! _He was surprised when he tasted salty fluid on his lips. For a brief moment, Fist had no idea what the wet sensation on his face was. He reached up and gingerly toughed his face. Salt water stained the fingers of his gloves. At the sight he grit his teeth so hard his gums ached. _I'm crying? Me? Why would I be crying? I haven't cried since… _He halted that train of thought. There was no time for him to bring up old memories, especially with his life hanging precariously in the balance. Despite his situation he laughed bitterly and wiped his face dry. _How stupid! Over a bunch of monkeys… Stupid blasted monkeys that should have known better than to trust me, it's a cosmic joke. The only beings on this earth stupid enough to look to me for guidance and I end up getting them killed. Irony is a blasted dark and __**evil**__ thing. More evil than I could ever be._

The martial artist curled his lips back and stood facing towards the end of the temple. Originally he intended to run to the end of the sanctum and cower under something until his safety was guaranteed. However instead he turned and ran in a very different direction. He passed several rooms that he had used to house his minions during there brief stay at the temple. Their smell was still all over the rooms and once again he could taste the salt water on his lips, but instead of giving into to the despair he was drowning in, he used it that feeling to fuel a much more comforting and reliable emotion; rage. Fist was very familiar with wrath in all of its forms and he intended to educate the person who was now trying to end his life in that emotion.

Monkey Fist came to a halt in front of the dark room he had adopted as his armory. It was a large and imposing stone chamber, and it was where Fist decided to house his personal weapons during his stay. He entered the cold imposing room and looked at the vast array of ancient weapons that lined the walls. The sight was indeed a comfort given the circumstances, shuriken, katana, kusarigama, whips, sai, and more, much more. Years worth of stolen tools of the ancient world. He looked over the wide variety of dangerous tools at his disposal, but he knew even before entering the room what he would defer to. He walked in a beeline towards his intended armament. It was a black-lacquered _sanjiegun_.

Of all the weapons at his beck and call, this was the one the monkey-master favored above all others. The three-part staff was more a piece of art than a weapon. Its smooth dark surface was inlaid with golden dragons on the upper section and roaring tigers on the bottom. On the center section, a single monkey sat in meditation, a rising sun twisting its rays behind it. When Fist first saw the three-part staff years ago he knew that no other person had a right to wield it, which of course was why he promptly stole it from the museum that it had been displayed in.

With still hands he reached forward and pulled the staff from the wall. When he first saw the deadly implement, he understood just how greatly it would compliment his abilities. Tai Shing Pek Kwar was a primarily bo-staff weapon, however Fist always felt that was limiting the fluid motion inherent in his style. A sanjiegun however was a fluid tool, and in Monkey Fist's talented hands quite lethal. Traditionally the Englishman preferred unarmed combat for the simple fact that it was simple and direct, weapons tended to limit ones movement. However if what occurred out in the blizzard was any indication, unarmed combat was grossly inefficient in dealing in whatever demon Drakken had sent his way.

Fist steeled himself, took a calming breath and turned towards the armory door. His body crouched at the ready, waiting for the moment Shego (or whoever/whatever it was) showed her face through the door. His strategy was simple. He would lunge at her with the staff already hurling towards her temple before she even had a chance to fully enter the room. From there the monkey master was fully prepared to pull from his bag of tricks each and every dirty and fatal technique at his disposal to crush the inhuman thing.

_And after that I'm going to find that bastard Drakken, and then I'll do to him what his freak-monster toy did to all of my ninja! I'll rip a strip of blue flesh off that science-loser's hide for each and every one of my monkeys! By the end he'll be red from now on instead of blue! _Fist grit his teeth and stared at the door. It seemed like ten minutes went by without even a single clue that anyone was in the temple but him. Sweat poured from his brow as he stared at the doors. There was not a single sound aside from his bated breathing to be heard. He dared not wipe away the sweat as it began to sting his eyes, as he was terrified that the she-beast would choose that unguarded moment to appear. After five more minute's paranoia began to rear its ugly head.

_She should be here by now! Where the hell is she, is she lost? Am I that lucky that she can't find her way through the temple? How can that be, this place is barely more than a giant hallway! No, she's just waiting for me to let down my guard before she tears through those doors. I bet she's waiting with her ear pressed to the wall for some confirmation that I've given up, or let down my guard. Well she's in for a long wait! My body is a living weapon and I've stamina unheard of. That stupid bitch will tire long before I ever will!_

Regardless of his confident thoughts Fist took a single nervous step backward. The moment his right paw hit the floor the wall behind him exploded in dynamic black light. The force of the explosion added to the flash caused by the brightness blinded Fist and threw him forward and into the very doors he had been guarding.

_What the bloody hell! _Rubbing his eyes to try to clear his vision of the flickering colors he looked up at the woman standing over him regarding him calmly. The pressure from the explosion had knocked her hood back and exposed her terrible beauty for the first time. It was Shego, and at the same time it wasn't. Similarities were there in her features, but her hair, her skin, her eyes, they were all almost the opposite of what they once were. Her eyes were the most terrible sight at that, they were cruel beady points lancing into him pitilessly as if judging him weak and pathetic.

"Shego? What are you?" He managed to ask through his shock. The thief suddenly glared and grit her teeth. Fist was taken aback by how sharp they were, all interlocked like an ivory zipper.

"Do yourself a favor, Lord Monkey Fist. Lower your weapon, bow your head, and I promise you this will be quick and painless." Her voice held no humor. It was as though she was offended by being called by her name, as though it were an insult.

Remembered himself, Fist quickly stood and resumed his stance. The element of surprise had clearly been hers from the beginning so that had proven to be a useless strategy. He decided instead that he would attack her from the front without mercy or quarter, a full frontal assault using every skill he knew.

"Tsk, I would never offer my enemies a "quick and painless" anything so I'd be a hypocrite to accept such a thing and that would blacken my fine heritage." He smirked. "So I suppose we must do this the _slow_ and _ugly_ way."

"You'll only die in the end, one way or another. You won't win." He voice was tired and bored which only served to infuriate him further.

Without warning, Fist rushed forward and jumped high into the air above her. With a twist of his wrist the staff in his grasp separated into it's three different sections held loosely together by a thin black chain. He let loose a roar of rage and brought down the weapon on his hated enemy with every hope of splitting her skull in twain. The whip-like motion of the strike added with the momentum of the unchained staff would normally smash concrete to dust and put deep dents in even steel.

It was unfortunate for the monkey master that his enemy was neither concrete nor steel. The moment that the weapon struck down, that thrice-blasted red light streaked across her forehead and met the assault head-on. The _sanjiegun _hit where it was intended, but not where it could do any kind of damage. Fist's heart skipped a beat when he saw several hairline cracks dance along the dark lacquered surface of his favorite weapon from the impact. Then, almost too fast for him to even blink the Shego-thing reached up and grasped the staff tightly between her claws, halting it's movement.

However, Fist was a master and knew from experience that any attack that his enemy delivered was just another opportunity for him to attack even fiercer. He was an aristocrat after all; he would not lose to a woman, inhuman or otherwise. He used the momentum of his failed strike to pivot his body around and land what would normally be a devastating knee strike to the monsters shoulder. Her barrier too blocked that attack, but she had to take a step back to keep her balance.

Sensing an opportunity, Fist used the small opening in the Shego-thing's defenses to pin both of her arms to her sides with his back paws, and then bring both of his fists high into the air interlaced into a powerful cudgel. Over and over again he brought his fists down hard on her head ignoring whether or not she was actually taking damage. He had no time to waste on such luxuries as that, all he could do was fight for his life harder then he ever had. Were he not so scared out of his mind, Fist would have felt exhilarated. He was finally giving purpose to his years of discipline and dedication in what had the potential to be his finest moment.

However his triumph was short lived. His so-called hold he had placed on her was grossly inadequate. Fist simply lacked the strength needed to hold her back for any substantial amount of time. Effortlessly she shrugged out of his grasp even as tight as it was and reached out grabbing him tightly by the side. She lifted him off of her almost as though he weighed little more than a paperweight and threw him against the far wall. The monkey master barely managed to twist himself into a position where he could break his fall and not his neck, before landing hard on his feet. During this time he realized that not once had the she-beast used her claws or flames against him.

_She's holding back, I'm giving it my all and she's holding her self back. _He grit his teeth. _Oh yes, I remember, she needs me in one piece for whatever sick reason Drakken sent her. Well, I wont look a gift horse in the mouth. _Fist took several steps forward and fell into an offensive stance. "Come on then, show me what you've got!"

The monster stood and brushed herself off while completely ignoring Fist. She then turned and locked eyes with his making him cringe involuntarily. "Very well then." There was a blur of motion impossible for Monkey Fist to follow before he suddenly felt a terrible pain in his right armpit. He nervously looked down to see the she-devil with her right hand outstretched and the claw of her index finger stabbed at least three inches into his underarm. Without hesitation she curled the offending digit within the wound and ripped her hand free, a torrent of blood and muscle-tissue following soon after.

A pain unlike any he had ever experienced exploded throughout Fists right arm and he let out a horrible simian screech. The injured limb fell limp and useless at his side and he quickly backed up from his opponent covering the wound with his left paw to staunch the bleeding. No matter how hard he tried his right arm would not so much as twitch. "Bitch! What did you do?"

She shrugged, "You are remarkably agile and it's causing me some difficulty, so I hobbled you. I severed your right arms tendons and nerve-cluster. An accomplished master such as you should realize that that means I win. Give up."

"You whore!" He lashed out with his left leg, his paw balled into a fist aiming towards her throat. The fact that this left him painfully open never occurred to his rage-blind mind. To his horror it did however occur to his opponent. A similar pain to the one in his shoulder exploded from his knee and he fell backwards, looking up at his green enemy. Blood dripped from her left index-claw.

"Two limbs left, Lord Fist. Care to gamble them too? Or will you surrender to the less painful alternative?" Her neutrality sounded forced, almost as though she were pleading with him to cease. Her mask-like expression was beginning to pull into a troubled frown. However, Fist was unable to appreciate this as his body was ruining any cognitive thought he might have with signals of intense pain. Using his remaining arm and leg he tried to drag himself away, never taking his eyes off the woman.

"You sodding **bitch**…" He said as sweat poured down his brow and bile built up in his throat, "if you think that I, the heir to the **House of Fiske**, the **master** of the ancient art of _Tai Shing Pek Kwar_, I, the Lord **Montgomery Avondale Fiske**, will ever lower my head to a bloody failed **science project** like you, then you need a few more days in the **test tube**!" He spat at her, "I live for **pain** so do your worst, I, am _**Monkey Fist**_!"

"So be it."

The woman lowered her head and nodded once, as though resigning herself to the act at hand. After what felt like an eternity, she slowly reached out and wrapped her right hand around Fist's throat lifting him up. He struggled wriggling like a fish out of water the entire time never giving in, his left hand and right foot-paw wrapped around her wrist offering feeble resistance. She met his eyes as she tightened her grip and he for the first time saw his despair being matched by hers.

A gurgling followed by a crack filled the armory, and then silence.

(Temple Exterior)

Out in the cold Tibetan mountain air a faint whistling could be heard in the wind. With each passing instant the sound strengthened and increased until a terrible din filled the sky. A meteor wreathed in flames punctured through the atmosphere rocketing hard on its dissent towards the mountaintop, specifically towards the grounds of the temple. Sonic booms shook the ancient construct by its very foundation, dust and soot shaking from between the stones from which it had been built. Finally with little fanfare the plummeting form hit the open courtyard before the temple gates sending up a wall of dirt, stone, and debris. Smoke rose from the object as it sat in the crater of molten stone, which quickly began to freeze over and submit to the mountainous climate.

The object was a large smooth metal sphere, gray and black from the burnt ozone. It was featureless aside from a single circular panel atop its surface. Several minutes of still silence passed before anything happened but soon the air was alive with the sound of air hissing and escaping from around the circumference of the sphere. Soon the top panel rose up above the surface and automatically slid aside revealing a dark passage. Black gloved hands grasped the sides of the opening and in a single fluid motion Kim Possible vaulted from the top and landed on her feet. She looked over her surroundings quickly, noticing several glass-filled slashes in the stone floor. Thankfully Kim was not greeted with the horrible sight of the dead simians, as the collision of the pod was enough that all unsightly remains of the monkey ninja (the remains that were still recognizable anyway) had been blown away or covered in soot and snow.

Kim reached within the fold of her cargo pants and pulled out her communicator thumbing the call button. As always Wade's face appeared on the screen. As far as the redhead was concerned there was something to be said of reliability.

"Wade, I've landed. Are the satellites still reporting anything regarding that energy signature?" She sounded somewhat rushed and out of breath, which made sense considering what it took to arrive at that mountain so quickly.

Kim had been worried when she heard how far away the estimated area was from Middleton, however Wade once again outdid himself and proved why he was Team Possible's tech-support. Surprisingly the transport he had managed to arrange was at her father's lab. As was usual they had planned a launch that day, but also on the agenda was a test launch of a new specially designed escape-capsule to be jettisoned from the ionosphere. Somehow after a great deal of arguing she managed to convince Kim managed to get her father and his research team to allow her to ride the pod down and had relentlessly countered any objections they had. The idea that using an experimental pod shot from space would be foolhardy or dangerous never occurred to the hero since she had survived far worse. Besides, it was the only way to get to Tibet in less than half an hour. As far as Kim was concerned, the transportation was the easy part of her mission. Her father hadn't put up much of a resistance. James Possible was more then aware of his daughters past exploits and was fully aware of his own accomplishments in his field also, because it was disposable it didn't matter where the pod landed as long as they retrieved all the black box data, which Kim promised she would return after her mission.

Wade looked at Kim through the screen and frowned slightly causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. "Uh, listen Kim… While we lost contact in the stratosphere I tried to tell you, um, y'see I haven't gotten any response in that area in over half an hour, not since a little before you left…"

Kim's heart sank. _Oh please be here! I came all this way, and I'm so close! _Biting her lip she looked down at her friend and nodded. "Okay, Wade. I'll be going in, I call you when I'm ready to be picked up. See y-"

"Wait Kim!" Wade shouted keeping her from closing the connection.

"What is it Wade?" She asked alarmed.

"Just… don't run in there without a plan! Remember GJ, all those tanks and helicopters, not to mention agents? Shego tore them all apart in less than forty minutes! If things get dicey in there you shouldn't hesitate to escape and we'll figure out a different way."

_I really must be worrying him… Ron's been really concerned too. I feel like a heel… It makes sense; this whole thing has left me a shaky mess. But still, I can't stop just because it's dangerous. That's not how I do things.  
_  
"Wade, I promise you, you have nothing to worry about. I'll be walking out of here just the same way I walked in." She gave him the most reassuring smile she could manage.

"Okay Kim, take care…" Wade cut the connection.

_Okay, lets do this thing! _Kim stood up straight and looked over in the direction of the temple. Her olive eyes flashed in determination, she would not fail this time, she promised. However, before she could so much as take a single step, the doors to the temple burst open and there she was.

Shego stood there, her cape flowing and flapping with the breeze, a heavy brown sack tied tightly with elastic bands was held tightly over her shoulder. The woman stalked forward as if in a daze but as soon as she locked eyes with the fiery teen she stopped dead. Both of there gazes met, Kim's olive staring directly into Shego's white.

Suddenly all of the resolve that Kim had prepared over the past week was a forgotten memory. Her throat dried and she found she didn't have the strength to move. There she was, the woman she had been obsessing about for the past week, staying up late nights researching, concerning her friends and family over, and yet she couldn't even speak. _Talk you idiot! Say something, anything, she's right there! Don't you dare screw up again!_

Shego, for her part appeared to be equally frozen. Almost unconsciously the heavy parcel over her shoulder slipped from her clawed grasp and fell to the frosted ground. Icy winds blew past the two of them but neither seemed to notice. Eventually, it was Shego who broke the silence.

"Kim Possible." There was a pause as if she didn't think any further as to how she should address the redhead before her. A moment later she spoke again, her voice taking on a similar icy quality to the mountain around them. "Are you here to stop me? Your ten minutes too late." She looked over at the bag on the ground. "The deed is long done."

Kim stole a glance at the bag, and realized suddenly what it was shaped like. _Oh god Shego, what did you do? _She shook her head. _I can't deal with that now! _Suddenly she found her voice.

"Shego," The green woman hissed at the name but Kim chose to ignore it. "Shego, please… Come back with me! Forget Drakken, and come back so I can help you. What he's done to you is sick and I want to fix it, please?"

"It's a little late for that, I'm afraid. She- I mean, this person you think I am is **gone**."

It wasn't beyond Kim's notice that not once had Shego said her own name since whatever transformed her into what she now was. _Does she have amnesia? Maybe Drakken wiped her mind or something. _Her lip unconsciously curled. _I'll never forgive him for this, treating people's lives as though they were things! _"What did Drakken do to you? Why do you follow him?"

Her eyes narrowed but not at Kim, she seemed to be focusing her anger inwardly. "He… gave me a second chance."

"_At what_?" Kim said surprised by the skepticism in her own voice. She wanted to sound friendly and neutral to coax Shego into returning with her but hearing her reasons sounded like a pathetic excuse, a preprogrammed response if the hero had ever heard one. "There is nothing he could have done that excuses this," Kim said indicating the body bag at Shego's feet. "Not a single thing!" To Kim's surprise Shego nodded.

"You're right. There is no excuse… But it's to late anyway; I don't have a choice-"

"Bullshit!" Both of them were stunned by Kim's language. The redhead was surprised, she never swore, even with prompting, however angry words continued to pour from her mouth almost automatically. "There is always a choice! The final decision always rests with you regardless of the circumstances." She frowned and looked away. "You're better than this, Shego. You shouldn't be l-lowering yourself to the whims of some blue-freak's mental illness a-as if you were one of… one of his syntho-drones!" He voice began to choke up in her throat, making further speech difficult. She couldn't bear to look up at Shego the way she was. Every time she did all she saw was that look in the green woman's eyes when she walked away. _I can't, no I won't let her just throw her life away! I won't let her walk away from me again!_

She swallowed nervously and forced herself to look up and make eye contact with Shego. The taller woman was looking down at the body at her feet, with conflict etched over her features. She would occasionally steal glances at Kim out of the corner of her vision. Her shoulders shook and she tightly closed her eyes.

"I don't think you could do anything for me." She spoke barely above a whisper. "I doubt anything _can_ be done for me."

Kim smiled and shook her head. "Better to find out for yourself, right?" She held out her hand. "C'mon, lets forget about all this. You and me can go back to the way things were.

Shego looked up at Kim quickly with wide eyes, after a moment she sighed and smiled. "The way things were, huh? You think so?" Her voice had an air of bemusement but her expression was somber. "Sounds like an adventure." For a moment she looked back down at the bag before shaking her head. Kim could vaguely make out the words on her lips even if she couldn't hear them.

"Fuck it." She turned and began slowly walking towards Kim. For the teen the relief was an almost physical sensation. From here things would all be easier, she could help make Shego back to the way she was, and all would be right. Step by step the older woman approached Kim, her stride was slow, measured, and her expression even then was conflicted. The redhead reached out her hand as the older woman approached and Shego looked down at it in bald apprehension. Slowly she reached towards it, inch by inch the two hands approached until finally their fingers were a mere centimeter from one another.

"It'll be okay now, Shego."

Just as the dark woman seemed about to return Kim's smile a powerful force flew out of nowhere and slammed hard into the thief sending her flying ten feet backwards to the ground. Kim merely stared stunned for a moment, unsure, and paralyzed from shock. Her mind was having trouble fathoming what had just occurred. As Shego lay sprawled out on the ground, Kim could barely make out a hole the size of a quarter had drilled its way into the thief's forehead, Kim couldn't even bring herself to scream.

For a moment, the older woman's body lay there on the stone, lifeless and still, but soon her back arched and she dug her claws deep into the stone beneath her as she hoisted herself shakily back to her feet. The long copper body of an anti-tank shell began to push its way free of the hole in the woman's forehead. Shego slowly inclined her face towards Kim with a look on her face that displayed a strange mix of confusion and to the hero's horror, accusation. Before either could say anything two more impacts struck hard into Shego's body, one in the left shoulder, and the other in the right hip. Once again, the green woman was sent to the hard ground. By this point, Kim's instincts had taken over and she ducked behind one of the broken temple walls. Her mind was in total chaos. _Who then hell is shooting at her? Good god, she was shot in the head! She got up after taking a bullet to the head!_ Putting a cap on those thoughts Kim shouted over at Shego, hoping, praying for a response.

"Shego! Shego, are you all right?" She shouted over to the green woman in a near panic. For over a minute there was total silence, but soon a chilling and unsettling sound began to emanate from the spot where the thief had landed. For a moment Kim was unsure what she was hearing. The sound was a deep heavy metallic rasp, like as if an engine was choking. Then Kim realized what it was, Shego was laughing. It was a harsh and sickening sound, lacking at even a hint of actual amusement. And then the laughter stopped.

"Very clever, Kim Possible… I actually felt hope. How very cruel of you…" The voice was a hiss of anger and forced bemusement. Kim's heart turned to ice. _No, no no no no!!! Please, not like this!_

"Getting me to lower my shield, a good idea but you packed all wrong. Your sniper should have brought a much **bigger** gun."

"No, Shego I-"

"**SHUT UP**!" The rage in those words gave an almost physical force to them. "Kim Possible… you are _**DEAD!!!**_

Chapter 12: End


	13. Alone in My Tomb

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 13: Alone in My Tomb

"Why won't you die?" the figure hissed as she crouched under the cover of white snow framed by black stone. A single determined brown eye focused one hundred percent through the sniper scope of her rifle. Dr. Director's shoulder ached from the powerful recoil the weapon provided, but that was far below her list of concerns. She had fired three armor-piercing rounds into the monster that rent her life asunder, one of which was the perfect definition of a headshot. And yet despite it all, that monster-bitch got right back up!

_Goddamned monster! I bet if I put enough bullets into your skull you'll stay down for good!_

Thankfully the creature's shield afforded her weapon little difficulty. The heavy payload anti-tank rifle Betty wielded was the best GJ had to offer. The veteran in her was sure that with her significant skill with the weapon she could put the Thing down for good. However, her reassuring thoughts didn't quite help to settle her boiling blood. Betty could not be sure, but the monster appeared to be laughing at her and at the redhead hiding under cover near her. It was a disconcerting sight if anything. Mayhem didn't seem to see her as the least of a threat.

The one-eyed woman sneered. _Go ahead and laugh it up while you can. Soon I'll be laughing too. You've earned every bullet you damn freak! Du, Johnson, Collins, Jamison, McDell…__**everyone**__! I'll pump a round into your hide for every one of them!_

Her vicious thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Betty saw something that as far as she was concerned couldn't be true. The she-beast was looking _right at her_. Even under the cover of snow, even two hundred yards away, the green and black demon was staring at her as though Director stood out in the open clear as day. Looking through the scope, the former director of Global Justice steeled herself and pulled the trigger three times while aiming for the monster's neck. She heard a crack that could only have been her collarbone finally giving into the constant recoil. However, Betty had no time to dwell on such pain. Her hope was that decapitation of Mayhem would finally do the trick; it was the great equalizer after all.

There was an eruption of dark flame that forced Betty to pull her eye away from looking into the scope due to its shear terrible radiance. When the light died down she wasted no time looking back into the scope only to see the monster standing in place completely untouched, it's eyes remained fixed on her position. Something the color of molten steel and copper dripped down to the ground from between the claws of the beast's right hand. Betty clenched her teeth so tightly one actually chipped. The monster's barrier was easily defeated by the caliber of her rounds to be sure, but if the bullets couldn't survive the heat they were useless to begin with.

Betty saw a flash of red as Kim ran up to **It** and stood in front of it with her arms spread out as though attempting to block Mayhem with her body. She seemed to be attempting to speak to it, but Betty was too far off to hear a single word or read their lips. The green freak cast Kim a look of abject contempt, and with a quick swing of her arm, sent the young hero flying several feet backwards. A small red stain formed on the ice where the young woman landed.

_Idiot! What was Kim thinking, getting that close?_

Mayhem's humorless eyes then turned their attention back at Betty. She looked furious with more than a hint of feral madness. Mayhem lowered her body into a crouched stance, and black fire began to spin out and build around her body cloaking her in the middle of swirling ebony doom. Suddenly the whole of that fire exploded outward towards Betty like a cannon, a wave of nightmarish death drilling through the air intent on rending the one-eyed woman to shreds.

_Will, everyone… I'm so sorry._

(Middleton, Outside the Possible Residence: 40 Minutes Earlier)

_Dishonorable discharge… dishonorable discharge…dishonorable discharge…_

The words echoed throughout Betty's psyche as she sat alone in her sedan parked outside the residence of the teen hero, Kim Possible. She found that when alone to her own thoughts those damnable words would pop up and boil to the surface of her consciousness like a hexed mantra. They were a badge of shame, a curse and a punishment. No matter what, whenever she tried to find some rest those words would attack her mind and assault her thoughts without fail. She had not slept for over a week.

_Dishonorable discharge… dishonorable discharge…dishonorable discharge…_

She lay silently in her car as she had done for the last two days, just waiting and watching, waiting and watching. She knew just as well as anyone else that her attitude was borderline obsessive. However, she could have cared less. Sitting on her lap was a small black device with a tiny LCD screen, no larger than a business card. The words "scanning" played across its screen back and forth over and over again. That small device, she had pilfered from her office as she was escorted from the GJ base, was the current reason she waited discreetly outside the young redhead's home. It was set to intercept and eavesdrop on advanced communication devices, specifically devices like Kim's Kimmunicator. It was untested, and had a fifty percent chance of failure, but to Betty, that was more than enough. Her goals were desperate and this was about vengeance.

She had already intercepted more than a few conversations between Kim and several well known geneticists, more than a few that were already on GJ's watch list. It was fairly obvious what the young woman was investigating. Betty may have been played for a scapegoat and cast from her life like so much garbage, but that didn't mean she was any less competent than before being labeled incompetent by her superiors. She was well aware of Kim's activities with or without GJ's sizable resources.

_Dishonorable discharge… dishonorable discharge…dishonorable discharge…_

Really though, without this small ounce of drive, what did she have left to grasp hold of? She no longer had a job, as that had been ripped away from her as though it were never hers to begin with. She had no friends, not outside Global Justice's payroll, and those who may have helped her and supported her had been killed, and maimed by **It**. Her only family lived several states away and she was on notably bad terms with the lot of them, her brother most of all. She could just imagine the disgustingly smug and self-righteous look on Sheldon's face when he heard of her being canned of which she was sure he had. W.E.E. was nothing if not well informed.

Worst of all, Betty had no home to return to. She had been a career soldier through and through; her home had been a modest apartment within the base's interior. When she was under the harsh lights of the debriefing room, looked down on by the men upstairs, they had been very clear that she was to vacate immediately.

What sickened her most of all was that they cared more for the loss of resources and money, than for the loss of her agent's lives. Most of those men had been with her from the beginning and she saw them daily, she knew them all by name, and had done the impossible time and again with their support. For the last several days her home had been a small motel room in Middleton, at least when she wasn't sleeping in her car.

And Will… Will Du had been the most loyal and supportive agent in her career. He never questioned or second-guessed her and he was strict and disciplined, always on time and always on his A-game. Betty couldn't count the number of times he had volunteered to stay up late with her to finish her paperwork, or get her fresh cups of coffee without her even asking. Most other agents saw him as a suck-up or an opportunist, someone trying to rise up the ladder. Betty, however, had known otherwise. Will was simply the type to throw himself one hundred percent into anything he was faced with. Had it not left him with such a rigid personality it would have been most admirable. If only he could have balanced it with normal social graces.

_And he died protecting me, torn to shreds before my eyes…_

Now she was all alone, left in the deep dark. All because of **It**! **It** had done this, **It** had ruined everything! In a single night, a single goddamned night, her life had been put through a blender. Her career, the men who looked to her for guidance, her self respect, they had been torn from her as sure as her right eye. Now she had _nothing_.

…_Which means I have nothing at all to lose._

Unlike most of fate's violent twists, this one had a face and a name. The ruin her life had become was personified in those black flames and burning white eyes. That thing, that demon, Mayhem, had all the blame in the world resting on her shoulders. If there was one thing left for Betty if she was to retain even the slightest smidgen of her dignity, it was to finish what she started. Monsters existed for humans to slay, and that thing was nothing more than a monster.

"_Wade what's the stitch?"_

Director was suddenly shaken out of her reverie as the screen on the small device lit up and displayed a split screen of Wade and Kim's faces. For a moment Betty was sure that the conversation would relate to the research that Kim had been pursuing all week, but as she listened for a few minutes a smile that was more than a little sinister sliced it's way across through woman's cheeks.

_This is it! Will, everyone, be patient with me! I'll get her for you and you can finally rest!_

(Now)

"I recognize you… You led that military force I destroyed."

The voice was hollow and mechanical like a woman whispering through a fan. Betty would have spat in her face had she not been lifted off the ground by her throat and forced eye-to-eye with the creature she failed to destroy. The two white eyes narrowed dangerously, and her dark lips tugged into a frown.

"Why did you come here? You were left alive, why waste something precious like that?"

Betty could have sworn that she heard regret and disapproval in the monster's words, but quickly shook it off as a side effect of having her oxygen cut off. Monsters like this didn't feel regret. When Mayhem had rocketed towards her, she crashed down five feet away, sending Betty flying into the mountain wall from the shockwave and crushing her rifle, which was an empty gesture considering she lacked any additional ammo. Mayhem then lifted the doctor off the ground and forced her into the current predicament. Betty couldn't ever have imagined that things could have gone so horribly wrong.

"I… c-could never… let s-s-something l-like _you_… get away with that… Will…everyone… would _never_… forgive me!" Betty managed to croak out through her constricted larynx. The woman-creature sneered in disgust.

"What you attempted is beyond their ability to notice or care. I know that first hand. They are dead, they feel _nothing_!" She shook her head and tightened her grip causing the ex-director to choke out. "After death there _is_ nothing. You're about to find that out for yourself."

"You're right, I am." Betty smirked and reached within the unzipped folds of her jacket. The clear sound of sliding metal could be heard.

"-And you're coming with me!" She raised three bare safety pins so that they were in front of Mayhem's face. The dark woman looked down to see several dark gray explosives clipped under the former-director of GJ's jacket. Mayhem's expression was unusually calm at the sight.

"Oh?"

Suddenly the area was converted into a holocaust of flame and noise. The entire mountain shook at the shear force of the explosion. Boulders and snow were shaken loose from the powerful shock and sent falling down the mountain; building into a massive avalanche by the time it reached halfway. Heavy plumes of black smoke rose up towards the heavens, a macabre display of destructive force. It was a fitting funeral pyre for the woman who used to be Doctor Elizabeth Director.

(Temple Exterior: Moments Later)

Olive eyes slowly cracked opened, and a strained tired groan filled the air as Kim propped her self up against the cold frost covered stone. Her left shoulder ached terribly, and upon initial inspection she saw the pain was caused by a deep laceration along its length where she landed hard against a jagged piece of stone. She winced unconsciously at the sight. She had taken far worse hits in the past, but not many. Suddenly she realized what had put her in her current predicament.

_Shego!_

Quickly she looked around for the thief, trying to find some indication where she might be. Her eyes quickly locked onto a burning tower of flames a distance away. Kim estimated it had to have been over six hundred feet away. The fires were the wrong color for Shego, so it had to have been something else.

_The sniper! Whoever followed me must be at the center of that, but where is Shego? _Her heart turned to ice. _Shego thinks I was working with that sniper, I've got to convince her that I wasn't somehow; I need her to come back with me._

The teen hero stood up and quickly went to make her way over to the bonfire. Her body ached out in protested with each and every step. She kept her right hand pressed hard against her left shoulder, to staunch the bleeding. She stifled a groan as she approached.

_I should have worn the battle-suit, that's for damn sure. It's a godsend that I didn't have time to grab Ron._

Much to Kim's relief an instantly recognizable feminine shape slowly moved from within the fire and slowly began to step out from the shadows. The redhead took notice that she was favoring her right leg as she approached. When Shego finally stepped free of the inferno Kim suddenly saw why: Her outfit was a tattered ruin; with the dark mantle little more then a few smoking strips hanging from her shoulders. The right spaulder had been snapped clean off, and the left was heavily burned and dented. Several patches of her familiar green and black uniform were also singed and stripped away exposing dark seared flesh. Her right arm had been blown away down to the shoulder exposing a blackened stump, and her right knee had been flayed to the charred bone, giving reason to the limp. This entirety aside, she seemed remarkably uninjured; certainly nowhere near as hurt as from that tank round.

Kim made damn sure not to scream this time as the woman approached.

When Shego to notice of the teen waiting for her she regarded Kim with annoyance with an expression of distaste. Kim was sure that had Shego still had two arms, she probably would have crossed them. Her dark upper lip curled back slightly.

"I doubt you have anyone else hiding out there. Your GJ companion was probably the only one stupid enough to come with you. So, what to do with you now?"

_GJ? Director! Director must have followed me then, but how? Had she been watching me? _

Kim felt a strange mix of remorse and anger at the revelation. It made perfect sense that Dr. Director would want to avenge all those agents, and the one-eyed woman was probably in a lot of trouble over the incident, but that didn't excuse using the hero and ruining all of her hard work. She had just gotten Shego's trust, _finally_, and everything was going her way. No one else needed to be hurt, and then Director showed up out of nowhere and undid _all_ of it. Now she was further back than square one. Kim could just scream.

"Shego, please listen to me! I had nothing to do with-"

"**Shut up**! I've had enough with people screwing around with me!" She roared out at Kim. Suddenly her hand rushed out and grabbed the teen tightly around her injured shoulder. "I am alone in my grave, Kim; do you understand what that feels like? You can't **fathom** it! I am a thing, less than nothing, **forever**! Nothing but a tool. I look like a person but I am **not**. Why can't you understand that?" Shego grit her teeth exposing the sharp ivory peaks.

"No matter where I turn everyone remind me of this, and just when it gets easier **you** show up!" Her grip tightened causing Kim to cry out, too shocked by this emotional deluge to form a proper response.

"Your very existence makes me suffer, Kim Possible!" Shego wrenched the smaller woman to her knees so that she was looking down at her, her eyes wild and manic. "I look at you, and I'm reminded of _everything_ I'm not… And you preach to me about hope, and choice, and make me believe it. For the briefest moment you have me in the palm of your hand… and then you try to put me down like an **animal**!" She shook her head is disgust.

_What… what is she talking about, I don't understand. "Alone in her grave" "A thing" Drakken didn't just mess with her body and brain did he… it's a lot deeper than that. _She gasped out a pain ripped through her shoulder. Sweat poured down her brow from the pain, which nearly froze to her forehead from the chilled tundra winds. _What Drakken did to her… it's driving her crazy!_

S-Shego! Stop, _please_! I'm sorry about what happened but you have to believe me, I never wanted to kill you! I wasn't working with Director, and I still want to help you! Oh god Shego, you have no idea how much time I spent just trying to find you, you have to believe me!" Much to her relief, the hard metal claws crushing down on her injured shoulder loosened somewhat.

Slowly the thief stepped back and looked away, her eyes were unfocused, and her lips were moving, but the words were too faint to reach the redheads ears. Her expression became harsh and she hissed out between her lips loud enough for Kim to hear.

"Shut up, dammit! Leave me alone, I don't want to hear it!" Shego reached up and clutched the side of her head in apparent pain. The words were not directed at Kim, as far as the cheerleader could tell they weren't directed at anyone. "You've been lying to me too!"

_Who is she talking to? Drakken? Or maybe she's… _Kim did not want to finish that thought. It was simply too much for her to deal with in the state she was in.

"Shego…" Kim spoke in deep concern. Seeing the woman who used to epitomize strength, independence and skill reduced to a ruined mess both in body and apparently mind tore deeply into Kim's soul. If such a strong soul could be laid to ruin like this, no one was truly safe. Shego seemed so lonely, and desperate, but also wrapped in deep paranoia. Kim was almost sure there was something done to her memory, but the dark woman was giving no indication she would tell Kim anything.

"Shego, please…" the hero cautiously approached the woman slowly, "Look at me, Shego."

Taking notice of the young woman, Shego turned her head slowly to look at Kim. Her eyes were wide and panicked. She took an almost frightened step back. "Stay back! K-Keep away from me!"

Undeterred, Kim continued her slow approach. "I think you know I didn't try to hurt you. But… I also think you want to believe I did."

"Shut up, I said stay back!" Shego took another hobbled step backwards; her expression was attempting to appear threatening but failing badly.

"Whatever Drakken did to you, it left you unable to trust _anyone_ didn't it. You think if you come back with me then I will be able to hurt you too."

"S-shut up… just…" Shego's voice was now barely above a whisper, and her head was down, obscuring her face with her bangs.

Kim was now face to face with the woman. Her olive eyes looked up determined into Shego's icy white. "It's easier to hate people, and it's safer. I get that."

Shego found herself unable to respond or form words. She just stood there emotionally drained and hopeless lost. Kim's eyes seemed so focused, the idea that such a pure soul could have tried to betray her, and hurt her was becoming very hard to hold on too, leaving her with no mental crutch to lean on, leaving her naked. Mayhem felt warm tight arms wrap around her wait, and Kim recline her head into the dead woman's shoulders.

"But I won't let you hate me too."

Kim felt such a deep sense of release when she felt the remaining arm of the woman she held slowly wrap around her middle, holding onto her tightly. The shoulder she was leaning her head against would occasionally shudder. _I did it I got her back! Finaly! It's all-_

Her internal celebration was suddenly cut short as a pulse of dark energy shocked its way up her spine and rippled its way through her brain. It was not quite like electrocution, the feeling that accompanied it was more a numbing sensation than shocking pain but it served the same purpose. The red head slumped in the dark woman's arms in a deep state of unconsciousness.

Mayhem looked down at the teen with an expression of numb emptiness. At the moment, she was capable of feeling nothing. The girl's words had almost reached her, almost. Had the undead woman not felt those warm arms around her, or been faced with how her own body contrasted with the sensation she would have given it. Instead, all it did was remind her firmly of her place in the world and her purpose.

"I'm sorry, but I **told** you to keep away."

Chapter 13: End

Sorry for the long wait. I can only write on campus since my home PC sucks hard.


	14. Caged with an Animal

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 14: Caged with an Animal

"_KIIIMMMM… KIIIIIIIMMMMMMM…"_

"_Wakey wakey Kimmmm Possibllllleeeeee…"_

The lids covering two olive eyes slowly cracked open, their pupils tried focusing unsuccessfully for over a minute before they adjusted to the insufficient twilight. To put it simply, Kim felt awful, like someone had grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her for a full hour before releasing her into a wall. Her thoughts were muddled and her shoulder ached terribly, especially thanks to something hard and tight digging into it, and wrapping around her form. She tried to move but found herself restrained completely.

After taking a moment to gather her bearings, Kim began to feel a bit more like a living person. She then looked up in an attempt to assess her surroundings. She was in a large dark room that appeared as though it had been cast out of raw iron; rivets lined the walls at the intersection of every metal sheet and every surface was gunmetal black. As far as the redhead could see, it was about the size of the school gymnasium minus the bleachers. A half dozen computer consoles lined the furthest wall, surrounding a massive screen, and several metal lab tables crusted with dry brown rust-colored fluid were pushed off to the side. The majority of illumination came from two light bulbs hanging from the center of the ceiling.

_Those stains look like…_

Kim had been in her fair share of evil hideouts, in fact, many would say that she was quite the authority on the subject. However, even Kim would have been hard pressed to recall a more disturbing and decrepit hideout than this one. It smelled stale, and sterile, like a morgue, and it was freezing to boot. She could feel Goosebumps rising all over her exposed skin; the room was like a freezer.

The hero decided to turn her attention down to the chair she was restrained to. It was made of black metal, just like the room, and appeared to have been quickly welded to the floor. It didn't budge no matter how hard she shook. Regarding her restraints, her captor appeared to forgo the usual route of ropes, or cables, and instead elected to use chains. The hard metal links dug unrelentingly into her body, fastening her arms to the chair's armrests, and her legs to the edge of the chair legs. Her torso was equally restrained, with several chains wrapped around her shoulders and waist and tying her tightly in place. Every time Kim tried to find some leverage her shoulder wound would send her mind-numbing signals of pain.

Regarding said wound, Kim could not get as decent a look at it as she would have preferred, but from what she could tell, it had been hastily and sloppily bandaged with white gauze. She was unsure if her cut had been stitched shut or not, but that didn't seem to matter at the moment; her struggling had caused whatever had staunched her bleeding to loosen and red was rapidly staining through her bandages. Rather then aggravate her wound further; Kim decided to turn her attention back to figuring out her current situation.

The cheerleader didn't even need to look to know that her gear had been taken. The familiar weight in her pockets was gone, and if she still had her Kimmunicator on her she'd be talking to Wade right now. The pen laser hidden her gloves may have still been their but her gloves were gone as well, so it didn't matter. Whoever had her certainly didn't intend to lose her. Although as far as Kim was concerned, the identity of her captor was fairly obvious.

_Considering how I just woke up, this is the part of the mission where Drakken comes in looking as smug as possible in order to rub it in that he has some brilliant plan. In five…four…three…two…_

The sound of two heavy doors slamming open echoed out from beyond Kim's blind spot. It didn't matter though; she didn't need to turn around, because she knew whom it was. Tiny excited footsteps approached her from behind, and seemed to be pacing back and forth just out of sight. The hero could just sense the look of disgusting satisfaction likely stapled to his smug blue face. However, Kim was in absolutely no mood to play games with the man.

"Well, well, well… Kim Possible. Isn't it just lovely that we have this chance to talk? It certainly has been a while." He stayed out of her range of vision, probably in a lame attempt to throw her off her game. He should have known better.

"Where is-" Kim began but Drakken quickly cut her off.

"Mayhem is busy getting repaired." He said annoyed at being interrupted mid-monologue. "Your little Global Justice friend sure did a number on her, didn't she?" Kim heard him sigh. "But it's no matter. Fixing her is child's play."

"What did you do to Shego, Drakken?" She asked, or rather, demanded before he even got a chance to throw himself into a rant.

Kim heard a rough growl of frustration as Drakken marched in front of Kim so that they stood face to face. Despite her anger, Kim was shocked by the appearance of the mad scientist. His blue skin was pale, almost colorless, and thick purple bags hung under his eyes. He appeared as though he hadn't slept in days, and his beady black eyes had a wild and unfocused quality to them, making him appear more dangerous and unstable. His usual grey jumpsuit was covered in similar rust-colored stains as the soiled lab tables surrounding them.

"I thought I told you before that Shego doesn't work for me anymore! I always took you for a more attentive listener than this," he sneered. "You always paid close attention whenever I would describe my plans to you at least."

Kim narrowed her eyes and matched his venomous expression. "I honestly couldn't care less what your plan is. What did you do to Shego?" she nearly shouted.

Drakken roared out and clawed at the air as if barely containing a tantrum. "Gargh! Shego, Shego, **Shego**! What is with you? Don't you even care about how I'm about to take over the whole world? You should!"

"I thought I told you, I **don't** care. The minute I escape from this chair, and I will, don't for a _second_ think I wont, I'm going to beat you senseless and destroy everything in this lab." Every word was delivered with a threatening indifference. "What you were planning to do won't matter then. But if you tell me how to fix Shego I _might_, and I stress might, let you get out of this without _too_ many broken bones."

Drakken took a step back at the uncharacteristic viciousness of the redhead's words. Despite her weakened position in the current situation, Kim spoke to him as though _she_ were the one holding _his_ life on the line. Her harsh olive gaze bore into him like twin drills. However, as soon as Drakken retreated backwards, a miasma of pent up rage replaced the feeling of fear.

"Considering how badly my new weapon beat you down, I doubt you'll be going anywhere." He crossed his arms and turned his nose up at her with sheer arrogance. "Must be humbling to know you're really _not_ 'all that'."

Kim's eyes widened in horror at Drakken's words, "Is that- is that all she is to you? Just a tool?"

_An "evil family" my ass. When he went to save her from Aviarius, he was probably just protecting a resource. He never cared about her._

"No! Don't you get it? Shego isn't here anymore! Mayhem isn't Shego! She is a _tool_, she isn't a person, she a… a… a _thing_, a _facsimile_, a _homunculus_! You're the _only_ one who doesn't get that!"

Kim just averted her gaze in distaste, ignoring his words with forced indifference.

_I looked in her eyes and I saw pain, and despair. A tool doesn't feel any of that. It's like he's in denial or something._

"You're just a sad little man who doesn't know when he's been beat."

Drakken snarled and lunged forward, grabbing Kim tightly by her hair and pulled her so she was eye to eye with him. His voice was barely above a whisper, and Kim could feel his hot breath on her face.

"You want to know what happened to Shego? You really want to know?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, and tiny flecks of saliva hit her face with every word.

Kim strained to keep her expression neutral despite the feeling of her hair being pulled out by its roots. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction that such a reaction would bring.

Drakken shouted out and marched over to where the computer consoles were. He quickly lit up the nearest monitor and punched in several quick commands. He looked over his shoulder at Kim to see her reaction. As near as Kim could tell, the blue psychopath was bluffing, and she intended to call said bluff. She turned her nose up and him and narrowed her eyes. "It's no big."

Seeing her look of determination, Drakken sneered and slammed his index finger onto the 'enter' key. The massive screen suddenly lit up with static before revealing the image of Drakken himself standing in front of a large metal doorway-looking device. The stolen 'Dimensional Quantum-Force Analyzer' was plugged into the side of the frame, and the familiar form of Shego stood next to the Doctor as he worked.

Kim's eyes widened at the image. _It's a security tape?_ Seeing Shego back to the way Kim remembered caused her insides to twist. _That seems so long ago…_ The hero took notice that the corner of the screen displayed the words, '3/15/XX - 9:15am'. _That's the day after Shego got away with the analyzer! This was taken over four months ago!_

Drakken's scratchy voice cut through her thoughts. "I'm afraid there is no sound, so I'll narrate the events as they happen." He walked up to the screen and pointed. "This was to be my greatest plan to date! Far superior to that failed Li'l Diablo attempt!" His words became harsh with the bitter memory.

The scene appeared to show Shego in a heated argument with Drakken, making angry hand motions towards the device, and Drakken shouting back at her. "My plan was brilliant… in theory."

"Aren't they always?"

He cast a dark gaze Kim's way before returning to look over at the screen.

"Finding a way to beat you was proving to be a fool's errand. I realized that I needed to look elsewhere if I were to finally claim my victory." He grinned. "It should come as a bit of a surprise for you to learn that this dimension is actually pretty docile compared to others. That's what I discovered anyway."

Kim narrowed her eyes at the man's implicating tone. "What does that have to do with beating me?"

Drakken suppressed a snicker. "Really Kim Possible, I thought you were smarter than that. As I told Shego, my plan was, in essence, quite simple. If Shego, one of the most skilled and dangerous fighters on the planet couldn't stop you, that meant that no one around was up to snuff."

He pressed the fast forward button on the console and sped the image forward until it finally stopped on Drakken pressing a large red button and the gateway lighting up. Drakken grinned widely but the expression was unnatural and forced.

"The dimension I settled on is a nasty piece of work, I tell you. Full of the truly wickedest of monsters."

Kim's eyes widened in horror when the reality of the situation set in, "You didn't!"

"I did!"

He fast-forwarded some more and the image changed to Shego and Drakken hauling some… thing out from within the portal. Kim had never in all her years of adventure and intrigue seen _anything_ like it. The creature was a massive humanoid ruin. Its jaw was flayed down to the bone, and its flesh was the color of a drowned corpse. Several bleeding gauges were dug into it torso, and its right leg was a spiky mechanized mess. Within its tree trunk-thick arms, it held onto some kind of giant metal red and silver cross.

"What is…?" Kim was not sure if the beast was unconscious or dead but she was betting on the latter. It wasn't breathing or moving in the slightest.

"Magnificent, isn't he? Our neighboring dimension seems to be really big on recycling. Not even the dead go to waste."

Kim was about to say something, but her words failed her as she noticed the recorded Shego suddenly look distraught. The creature on the table had begun to twitch and spasm, and the holes perforating its chest and side began to shrink away and contract. Meanwhile on screen Drakken seemed as oblivious as ever, looking at some computer read-out.

Kim turned to look at Drakken holding the remote control, and was shocked by his expression. His head was down and his blue eyelids were shut so tightly they almost looked red. Kim felt a chill run down her spine as she looked back over at the recorded image.

Shego was fighting for her life against the monstrous juggernaut. Every attack she dealt the creature barely served to stun it. Kim was honestly amazed at Shego's ability as she fought for her life against the monster. Apparently when faced with death, her skills seemed to focus with fatal efficiency. It was unfortunate that even those abilities seemed to have no effect on her seemingly invincible opponent.

When all seemed lost, Shego turned and ran, trying to get as much distance between her and it as possible. However, before she could get even twenty feet away, the monster slammed its fist hard into the floor in front of him. A shockwave carried the force under Shego's feet and released the pent up kinetic energy directly in front of her, halting her escape with a wall of metal and stone spikes.

_Oh god no…_

The creature moved in upon the trapped thief, and effortlessly snatched her up like a child grabbing at an insect. At this point in the recording, Drakken turned his back to the screen so that Kim could no longer see his face, but his form was trembling.

"You wanted to know what happened to Shego?" He asked, his voice quivering with equal parts sorrow and rage. "Well then watch carefully!"

The events of the screen seemed to play out in slow motion in the redhead's mind. The thing lifted Shego to eye level, and with it's free hand pushed the long end of the cross against the thief's stomach,_ No, not a cross, that's a gun! __**Shego!**_ An eternity of silence seemed to pass, as cold creeping; clawing and stabbing horror seized the hero's mind.

And then the thick finger depressed the trigger, and a bullet shell the size of a football drilled its way through the thief's waist, the shockwave tearing the surrounding flesh to tattered shreds. The force left in the bullet's wake was alone enough that both half's of Shego were sent in opposite directions across the room. Suddenly the screen turned to static when Drakken put his fist through the computer monitor.

"You want to know what happened to Shego? You wanted to know! Well now you do, Shego _**died**_!"

Kim felt like she was about to throw up. Her whole body was tense and numb and ached against the tight chains, but currently she felt none of it. All she could do is replay that one instant back in her head over and over again in a hellish loop. Her mind was a maelstrom of total chaos.

_Shego is dead, I just saw Shego die, but no he could have made that with some program right? Shego brought me here for crying out loud, she's not dead! I know she's alive since I saw her, Drakken's just lying, that video is a fake, and he's trying to screw with me like he did with that Syntho-Drone. Shego's alive, Shego's alive…_

Drakken stepped back when he saw Kim suddenly jerk up and roar at him. "That's not going work this time, Drakken! I don't know why you doctored that awful video up but Wade could fix that in his sleep. I'm not gonna believe a word of it, so tell me, _**where is Shego!"**_

Drakken looked at her blankly for well over a minute. Suddenly the corner of his lip twitched, then he shook and finally, a deep belly laugh escaped from deep within him. The blue scientist nearly fell over as he held his sides, laughing over and over again, tears streaming out. "She thinks… she thinks I-"he cut him self off with another burst of ill-humored mirth. "You honestly think I _faked_ that? I faked Shego's death?"

Without warning his humorous expression fell away entirely. Drakken calmly walked up to Kim with his expression in the neutral. Kim looked up at him in hatred that he would dare do something as sick as that videotape. She barely had time to think though when a fist collided hard with her left cheek, and then a moment later, her right.

"You **bitch**! How dare you! _You_ killed her, damn you! You killed Shego _you_ did it! If it wasn't for _you_, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have found _him_, he wouldn't have killed _her_! You did it, damn you, Kim Possible! This is your _entire_ fault." A hard blow to the face accompanied each mad accusation, knocking her head into the back of the chair and riling her senses with shock and pain. Kim had taken far worse blows in the past but she was usually in a position to defend herself. Now all she could do was sit back and take the mad scientist's abuse.

Suddenly Drakken seized her chin and pulled her swelling face up so that they were eye to eye. "I have _dreamed_ about how I'd make you pay, Kim Possible."

Even through her pain Kim could think clearly of what was happening to her. She easily came to a frightening conclusion based on his current violent tantrum. She didn't want to believe it, with every ounce of her being she didn't want to believe it, but the truth was clear; Drakken _wasn't_ lying. He not only believed that that tape was real but infinitely worse, that Shego, his assistant and the woman who had been Kim's greatest challenge for years, had been killed.

_Killed, killed, and blown apart by some monster from another dimension…But that still doesn't make any sense, Shego took me here for god's sake!_

She turned her eyes up towards the blue doctor as he painfully clasped her face. She couldn't manage to even glare. "If she's… if Shego is…" She couldn't say it, not even if she tried.

"If Shego is dead, who have you been seeing?" Drakken finished, with a sneer. He let go of her face and stepped away.

"That thing, that monster, Fangoram, it called itself. It was dead but mobile, as you so clearly saw. Shortly after it, it… did what it did; its body unexpectedly broke down. He died for real you could say." He stood and walked back away from Kim a few steps to get back his space. Kim was grateful for the space provided; her face was beginning to hurt like hell.

"I studied him, tried to find a way to bring Shego back. Eventually I did find a way." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny glass test-tube. The insides were glowing with a startling bluish white light. Drakken held the small vial in front of him so Kim could get a clear look at its contents. The redhead could barely make out a small sliver of… _something_ floating within. Kim had no idea what that stuff actually was, but her instincts were enough that she could practically feel that whatever was trapped behind that glass was pure concentrated malevolence.

"This is the secret to life after death, Kim Possible! I discovered it deep within the cells of Fangoram, and using this cheated the reaper himself!" He stated with grossly undeserved pride. "I've since dubbed this chemical, "_Substance_"! Using knowledge obtained by studying the monster's body, I re-outfitted Shego's corpse, and then gave her a small injection of Substance. The effect was almost instantaneous!" He then frowned and looked down at the Substance in his tiny latex-covered hand.

"How could you do something like that to her? I used to think you cared about her but all you care about is yourself!" Kim shouted at him, furious.

Drakken actually took a step back at the verbal onslaught but quickly remembered his position in their situation and stood tall. "I did it _because_ I cared about her!" he shouted back, but quickly lost the energy to continue on in that raised voice. He looked at the vial once more before putting it back in his pocket. When he spoke again, his tone was that of a broken man. "But, it didn't work, not like it should have. Like I said earlier, Mayhem _isn't_ Shego, just a thing that resembles her."

_He's wrong, I looked in her eyes and saw Shego. She is in there and suffering and it's all __**his fault**_

"You're wrong."

Drakken looked up suddenly and cast his gaze over in Kim's direction, "What?"

"I said you're wrong. That _is_ Shego, she's hurt and alone, and you've made her that way! You've been treating her like a thing for so long she thinks she is one, and that's horrible! That's sick, Drakken, and even from you I never expected something so despicable."

Drakken's eyes widened to a degree that Kim could almost see the veins within them pop. For a moment, Kim was positive he was going to strike her again, not that she particularly cared, after all she was well beyond caring about that sad little man. However, instead he grinned from ear to ear, and narrowed his eyes.

"Well, we'll see if that's true when you join her, Kim Possible. Or should I say, D.E.A.D. 02?"

Kim's eyes widened in horror, "What did you call me?"

"**D**eceased **E**ntity **A**dapted for **D**estruction, or simply, _D.E.A.D._ Clever, yes?" Kim just stared at him, saying nothing. Drakken frowned, "I thought so at least. Mayhem is Number Zero, just the prototype. As we speak, I'm currently working on Number One, and you," he glared, "will be Number Two. Then you can tell me it you're still Kim Possible after all that."

Kim narrowed her eyes at the implication. "Ron and Wade will find me, and then we'll make you wish you'd never been born."

Drakken smirked, and reached into his pocket before pulling out her Kimmunicator, sans battery. "Not until I've finished they won't. Face it Kim Possible, I've finally won, after all this time." He reached into his pocket and pulled free the dark black form of a laser-gun. He placed the barrel hard against her temple and grit his teeth.

"This is the fun part; this is where I avenge what you did to Shego!"

_I'm not scared, _Kim thought as she felt the cold metal of the gun against her temple, _I won't let him think for a second that I'm scared. _But that wasn't true, she was terrified, frightened out of her mind. She was only seventeen and facing what seemed very much like her impending death. Anyone would be scared, but Kim Possible wasn't just anyone.

"If you really wanted to avenge Shego, you'd put that gun against _your_ head." She stated coldly.

Drakken roared out, Kim heard the sound of metal slide against metal as he pulled the trigger, and then-

(Somewhere else)

_Where am I?_ Mayhem thought as she looked around the unfamiliar environment.

The last thing the undead woman remembered was stepping back into the Regen-Tank to repair the significant damage to her arm and knee. She had left Kim in the main chamber securely chained down as per the Doctor's orders, despite her mixed feelings on the matter. Yes, Kim had betrayed her, and tried to kill her, but even despite all that… Something was still wrong with what Mayhem had done, she felt ill at the memory of shocking the olive-eyed hero, and bringing her to the Doctor. Who knew what he would do to her, Mayhem wasn't sure but she could guess.

_I hope for her sake it's not that though. I wouldn't wish this on anyone…_

However, the moment she surrendered her repair systems to the Regel, her mind suddenly blanked out and then a moment later, she found herself in her current predicament; trapped in a dark void, free of any and all things. After taking a moment to assess her situation, Mayhem stepped forward into the labyrinthine darkness, hoping to find something, anything.

The undead woman continued on for what felt like hours, stumbling through the abysmal nothingness. Had she gone mad, was this hell, had her brain just shut down, these questions bombarded her with every step.

_If this is hell then it's more than appropriate I end up here. Although, I must say that this is disappointing, I expected something flashier._

Suddenly, like a godsend, Mayhem noticed something out of the corner of her eye, a small infinitesimal point of light in the distance. Accepting it as an obvious invitation, Mayhem sprinted forward running as fast as she could. Much to her delight the light became larger as she closed the sizable distance. Soon she was upon its source, and she stopped dead in her tracks. The light was from a simple black reading lamp on a desk, but that wasn't what grabbed Mayhem's attention so suddenly. What did was the woman sitting on the extravagant chair next to it.

She was a beautiful pale figure, with unrivaled curves and hair as black as the darkness that surrounded them. Her clothes consisted of a single one-piece of clashing green and black, forming a pattern of controlled chaos. The woman's face however was the most striking, slanted aggressive emerald eyes, and inviting dark black lips currently turned up slightly a the corners. Mayhem knew the face very well it was hers after all.

"Shego…"

Shego merely grinned and reclined back in her chair. Her expression that was far too predatory to be found on a human being.

"Hello Mayhem. I think it's about time you and me had a little chat."

Chapter 14: End


	15. Mayhem VS Shego

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 15: Mayhem VS. Shego

(Within that Dark Place)

There she was, the woman who shaped and defined Mayhem's current existence, the enemy of Kim Possible and ally to the Doctor… Shego. Mayhem's former self sat on that elaborate throne as though she were a queen reigning over the surrounding darkness. The atmosphere between the two hung heavy with a strange stifling built up tension. It was as though the air between them weighed well over ten pounds. Mayhem had no idea how she had ended up within this dead place, but what she was sure of, was that the pale-green figure that sat so smugly before her was the cause. In every direction stretched endless nothingness so Mayhem had no other option then to face down her former self and find out why she had been brought here.

_What the hell does she want from me? Why is she looking at me like that?_

Mayhem and her former self remained in their positions regarding one another and exchanged looks for several tense moments. For her part, the darker of the two didn't allow herself to appear as shocked as she felt looking at the woman sitting so calmly before her eyes. Shego however still had that frightening predatory expression as she moved her eyes slowly up and down Mayhem's form as though sizing the undead woman up. Something about the pale thief was… frightening. She had an air of disturbing aggressiveness just below the surface, like intent to kill filling the dark space around them. Mayhem felt like if she didn't fill this silence soon she would scream.

"Where am I?" Her voice was the same neutral mechanical it had always been, but within the darkness she found herself trapped within, her words seemed to echo off into eternity, jarring her senses from just the simple act of speaking. A slight chuckle escaped Shego's dark lips.

"Where are you? Isn't it obvious?" She gestured to the light-less space surrounding them. "This is where you've been the whole time. Isn't it _Mayhem_?" She stressed the name in distaste. "Haven't you just been wandering aimlessly through the darkness without any direction or goal?" She smirked. "I should know. I've been stuck here with you the entire time."

Mayhem furrowed her brow in annoyance, deciding to challenge that statement. "Spare me the unsubtle metaphors, _Shego_. I've no patience for them." She curled her lip in distaste. "So what are you anyway, a ghost?"

Shego stared wide-eyed for a moment in a look of disbelief before throwing her head back and laughing for well over a minute. Mayhem crossed her arms, very annoyed at the exaggerated display of amusement. When Shego's mirth had calmed down to only mild snickering, she wiped a tear from her eye and looked up and her dark doppelganger.

"That was rich; I haven't heard something that funny since who-knows-how-long." She regarded Mayhem with a smug look. "Tell me, Sweetheart, how can a person speak to their own ghost? I'd really like to know."

"I don't appreciate your failed attempt at humor," She looked around them at the nothingness, "This is certainly not the place for it."

Mayhem wasn't sure but for a moment is seemed like Shego's expression suddenly hardened. Really it was just an ever so slight narrowing of her eyes and thinning of her lips, but the mild change in expression was upsetting. It made it clear that this strange encounter was far from a friendly exchange. Just as quickly Shego's expression switched back towards cocky amusement.

"You _used_ to find me funny. Hell, you used to find me freaking hilarious. I guess your sense of humor didn't survive the Regenesis. That's one of the reason's I called this little meeting."

_This must be what going insane feels like. After all, this could only possible be a mental breakdown, right? I'm taking to my former self for God's sake!_

Mayhem scoffed and crossed her arms. "My sense of humor is in jeopardy?"

"No, _**everything**_ about you is in jeopardy, _me_ especially."

"How are _you_ even here? You _are_ Me! This conversation shouldn't even be possible."

Both of the two women were suddenly distracted by the resounding sound of approaching footsteps echoing throughout the darkness. The source of the steady rhythmic clatter seemed to be coming from all sides due to the echoing. Suddenly a tall dark outline materialized from the light-less space before them. Mayhem's eyes widened in confusion at the approaching figure, but Shego merely glared up at him in annoyance.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" She practically spat, her voice dripping with disgust.

The 'you' in question was a very tall and broad-shouldered man with a lanky frame, at least six and a half feet tall. He wore an expensive-looking dark black suit with a blood red tie that stood out in stark contrast to the rest of him. His head was completely bald with strange pale-blue translucent skin, which seemed almost as smooth as glass. Dark sunglasses completely hid his eyes but red light seemed to peek out from behind the black lenses. Strangely, two small black batwings poked out from his left shoulder. The mysterious stranger regarded the two women with a mechanical impassiveness, saying nothing, but observing everything.

Mayhem was disturbed by the new figure. She had no idea who he was or where he came from. If she was right and this was all in her head like she thought, then it made sense that Shego would be there too. But this man (or thing) seemed remarkably out of place were that the case.

"Who are-"

Shego cut Mayhem off before the undead woman could finish her inquiry. "I said what the hell are you doing here?" She repeated practically spitting at the figure.

He/it regarded her vicious expression with complete neutral impassivity. Finally, after a moment of stillness the figure finally elected to speak. _**"Alarming mental activity has been detected within host: Gathering data to determine any possible danger to the collective self."**_ His/it's voice was nearly impossible to compare to anything Mayhem had ever heard. It was as though thousands of different voices had been poorly mixed together so that one couldn't tell if one person was speaking or a thousand.

"Haven't you ever heard of privacy you sick freak?" Shego barked at him/it. He/it for his part just continued to stare, completely unrepentant of his/it's voyeurism.

Mayhem turned her attention back to Shego. "What is that," she asked in a demanding tone.

"Y'know that crap Drakken pumped us with when he brought us back? _Substanc_e, I think he called it."

"Yes…" Mayhem answered unsure.

"Well that crap is alive, like it's a living intelligent thing. A parasite near as I can tell, and that loser over there is the avatar that junk uses when dealing with me." Her eyes narrowed. "Don't worry though; it can't pull anything in here. It's actually the reason we have that force field. If we die, it's screwed so it has to keep us going."

Mayhem felt sick at the very idea that something alive was swimming around throughout her body, _in_ her, the feeling was unbelievably pervasive. Just looking at the thing before her made her feel very ill. "Make it go away," she said sounding less demanding then she had tried for; instead she came off as pleading.

"You heard her, go crawl under a rock, Baldy!" Shego shouted at the dark figure.

It stood there regarding them for a moment before slowly nodding. _**"Acknowledged. Avatar will be disengaged; however the situation will continue to be monitored to record any further irregularities."**_ The figure in black faded completely out of sight a moment later, disappearing into the darkness like a shadow, leaving both women seemingly alone once again.

"It's still there… isn't it?" Mayhem said taking a few steps away from Shego to reclaim her space.

Shego nodded once with her face turned away from her dark double. "Yeah, it's always there."

Mayhem looked over in the direction the Substance had walked off in nervously. Nothing was making any sense at all anymore. She turned to Shego, "Why the hell am I here? And for that matter, why are _you_ here?" She asked accusingly.

Shego stared blankly at Mayhem for a moment before she sighed and shook her head slowly. Her next words had a condescending tone like a parent chastising a child. "I'm here because you put me here. If you want to be technical, I'm not even really Shego, I'm not really anything. I'm just what you can't bring yourself to deal with on your own."

Mayhem sneered at the smart comment. "So, I am crazy. I thought so. I guess you're just some fragment of my damaged psyche, right? You're the one I've been talking to this whole time."

"Bingo. I am the person trying to get you back on track, trying and _failing__ miserably_ mind you. But no, I am not just some piece of mental baggage; I'm as much you as you are."

Mayhem scoffed. "This is ludicrous, how did I even end up here?"

Shego's eye's narrowed. "Listen up, Sweetheart 'cause I'm not in the mood to repeat myself. This, my _friend_, is an intervention. I suppose that technically you could consider this a dream but since you don't dream or even sleep anymore, a more correct description of this would be that you're having a mental freak-out right now. The mind can only take so much before it shatters," she smirked humorlessly, "Or in this case, snaps clean in half."

Mayhem took an involuntary step back. "What are you talking about?"

Shego growled and stood up, walking towards Mayhem with her emerald eyes blazing. "When you were first brought back, you and me were the same, both one single mental mess up brought on by a noggin full of rotten gray matter. Ideally, as time went on you'd start to regain your memories and steadily reintegrate back towards your old personality. However, you royally_ screwed_ all of that up!"

Mayhem continued to unconsciously back up as Shego approached her, looking madder and madder with every step. "W-what do you mean by 'I screwed it up'?" She asked trying to sound indignant but only coming off as nervous and confused.

"Do I need to draw up a freaking graph? It should be obvious. You regained all your memories _**weeks**_ ago, well before you started hearing my voice, but you couldn't handle them because you're a **coward**!" Her gloved hands tightened into fists. "You just pushed me aside until I had no choice but to rub you're face in it like I'm doing now!"

Shego rushed forward suddenly and grabbed Mayhem by the collar of her mantle, and dragging her face down so that they were eye to eye. Shego seemed absolutely livid. "Because of your stubborn cowardice you have done horrible things; killed so many people! Dementor, Fist, Director, and a hundred other flunkies! It's all on your head!"

Mayhem tried to pull herself away from the late-thief but found that Shego's grip was simply too strong. "You don't understand, what happened was-" She was cutoff suddenly by a hard fist to the cheekbone courtesy of the irate pale woman.

"Don't give me that, 'I don't understand' crap! I've been with you since the beginning and there is _no one_ more understanding than me! I tried to be patient, and you should know that I'm _not_ a patient person. But enough is enough!" She shoved Mayhem away with enough force that the darker woman almost lost her balance.

"I draw the line at Pumpkin being turned into a monster like us. That is unacceptable, and I will _**NOT**_ allow it!"

Mayhem's expression was one of open shock, both from the pain of the blow and of the cruel accusations being thrown her way. She took a step back for more room as she held her cheek. The blow had hurt, and not like it should have either, it hurt like what someone alive would feel, not the dull muted sensation afforded to a D.E.A.D. like she was. As Mayhem dwelled on her former self's words the cold and dark feeling she had been experiencing since she had arrived here began to build and twist between her insides.

_How dare this __**facsimile**__ think to judge me?_ As far as Mayhem was concerned, the woman before her was just a mess of cluttered thought that didn't know when to disappear. _I've been forced to put up with a lot of bullshit lately, but I won't be pushed around in my mind too!_

Shego jumped back in surprise when a clawed fist came rushing towards her head. The thief landed easily and regarded Mayhem with sly amusement. "Do you really want to go down this road, Mayhem?" Her dark lips parted into a feral grin. "Makes sense that you'd be so stubborn, I am too after all." She easily ducked and out maneuvered several clawed strikes aimed in her immediate direction.

"You think I care what happens to Kim?" Mayhem shouted while bring the heel of her boot down hard where Shego's head was a millisecond before. "That bitch tried to kill me, and I can't wait till the Doctor has his way with her!"

Shego snarled and sprung forward through Mayhem's defenses with unnatural ease before bringing her gloved fist upward in a surprisingly powerful uppercut sending Mayhem flying backwards before landing on the hard ground. "You're still singing that song after all _this_? Pumpkin didn't betray us!"

Mayhem looked up at Shego, regarding the pale woman with undisguised fury before launching herself forward with several more indiscriminant attacks, "Why are you defending her? You and she used to be enemies; you tried to kill each other! You hated each other, I remember that!" Each blow was easily ducked or blocked.

"You only remember what you want to, what's convenient for you at the time!" Shego shouted grabbing a hold of Mayhem's right arm and sending the larger woman flying across the nothingness. "What's between me and Kim isn't anywhere near as simple as you seem to think."

Mayhem was only on the ground for a microsecond before springing back towards Shego with her golden claws outstretched. "Kim is allies with the one-eyed woman, and you still say they weren't working together? How completely naïve!"

"Naïve?" Shego stated indignantly, crushing her kneecap hard against Mayhem's exposed abdomen. "You killed Director's men in front of her eyes, of course she'd come back to balance the books, you idiot! But even so; Kimmie would never help a person skating the edge like that!"

"Bullshit!"

Shego grinned and ducked behind her charging undead counterpart, before whipping around and delivering a swift kick to the back of Mayhem's right leg sending her to her knees. "Kim Possible would never try to kill _anyone_, and she doesn't have the capacity for anything anywhere near that underhanded. You just want to believe that because it makes your life simpler if you hate her. All you ever do is take the easy way out!"

"Argh, shut up, **goddamn it**!" Mayhem whipped around hoping to score a hit to the late-thief's throat and thus stop her words. This too was easily avoided. It seemed that the more Shego spoke the greater the feeling of knotted unease within Mayhem became. The words hurt far worse then the strikes.

Shego regarded her opponent on the floor with exaggerated pity. "You just don't get it do you, I will never lose to a cowardly weakling that hides behind flimsy excuses."

Suddenly Shego was forced to duck as two black flares rushed through the air past where her head had been seconds ago. Mayhem stood up, her arms wreathed in burning and twisting black energy. Her expression was one of barely contained rage.

In response, Shego smirked and ignited her own fists with familiar swirling emerald light. "Bad taste, Sweetheart. Didn't you know that black is _so_ last year?" She threw twin thermal bolts towards Mayhem, who attempted to block them with her energized forearms but grossly miscalculated the force behind them. They exploded against her like bright jade flares and again she was sent sprawling against the solid darkness.

Mayhem looked back up at Shego in a mixture of anger and righteous indignation. "How are you so _strong_? I should be tearing you apart right now! You're human, weak, and merely human!"

Shego stood over her prone opponent, with green light radiating from her ignited fists. She scowled down at Mayhem, "We were never _merely_ anything. And it doesn't matter what you are out there. In here **I'm** in charge. It's like an ant trying to fight god. Honestly, what are you hoping to accomplish?" She kneeled down so they were level with one another.

"Whenever you're faced with something challenging you back down, why break your habits now? Why don't you give up already? You're so good at it."

Mayhem roared and launched herself back at Shego, ignoring whether her strikes struck home or not. Shego blocked with casual ease blow after blow, before suddenly the green skinned thief noticed something that completely threw off her concentration; Mayhem's hair was darkening. The distraction as mild as it was, was enough that a punch connected hard with her stomach sending Shego backwards clutching her midsection. Despite this, Shego smiled broadly.

_Perfect!_

Mayhem grinned with feral intensity at finally having landed a hit. It was unnatural, she was beginning to feel more and more confident as the fight drew on, that overbearing feeling of tension within her had started to thin out as their bout had continued to drag. She never even noticed that her hair had blackened completely matching her opponent's.

"You think you can win just because you managed a lucky shot? Pathetic, I gave that one to you 'cause I was beginning to feel sorry for you." Shego mocked falling back into a fighting position.

"Beat a dog long enough and it'll bite," Mayhem stated with a grin, oblivious to the fact that her dark skin was beginning to lighten into a very pale shade. "And I am one bitch you do **not** want to be bitten by!"

The undead woman charged forward with a strange feeling of renewed strength. With minimal effort she landing several well-placed strikes this time around and even managed to send Shego crashing to the floor. The pale woman looked up at Mayhem and smirked while holding her side. "Is that all yah got?" she managed to say through the throbbing pain. Despite appearances, as far as Shego was concerned she was winning.

_Just a little longer_, she thought. _I'm almost there!_

Mayhem reached down and brought the woman up so that they were eye-to-eye. "You have any other word's of wisdom to drop on me, now?" she asked with an eyebrow raised and a cocky grin playing across her black lips.

Shego smirked. "Yeah, for someone who lets a blue idiot run her life, you sure seem to think you're tough shit."

Mayhem glared and leaned in so that their noses were little more than a centimeter apart. "I'm only going to say this _once_ so listen closely," Faint tendrils of emerald green began to swirl and thicken within her white eyes. "_**NO ONE**_ runs my life!" She brought back her fist and threw it forward smashing it hard into Shego's cheek sending her flying forward almost a dozen feet.

Shego landed hard, her mind in a scattered buzz, but she could barely hold back the laughter of triumph. She looked back at the woman standing there and it was like looking at a mirror. Black hair, pale green skin, emerald green eyes, there she was, there was the _**real**_ Shego. Slowly she pushed herself back to her feet and regarded the victor with an expression of stern seriousness.

"What are you gonna do when you wake up?"

"When _we_ wake up you mean."

Shego smirked despite herself, and expression that was returned in kind. "Yes, _We_."

Mayhem/Shego curled her hand into a fist. "That's a pretty dumb question coming from you."

The other Shego smirked. "Humor me, Sweetheart. I've waited a long time to hear it."

Mayhem/Shego frowned and looked away. "I know that, listen I'm sorry about-"

The other Shego grinned and crossed her arms cutting her other self off. "Did I ask for an apology? Geez I didn't realize I was such a mushy wimp."

Mayhem/Shego scoffed. "As if! First I'm gonna save Pumpkin, and then I'm gonna hand in my letter of resignation to that loser, Drakken." Her eyes narrowed with fierce intensity.

"Make it a really _stern_ letter, okay?" The other Shego said with a vicious smirk.

"Of course." Then she lost all humor. "We'll have to destroy the rest of the _Substance_. That crap can't be let out. Who knows what it'll do if it gets the chance."

"And you know what that'll mean right?"

Mayhem/Shego turned away with her eyes tightly shut. "Yeah, I know..."

The other Shego smirked and clapped her hands together. "Alrighty then, let's get to it!"

Mayhem/Shego looked around in confusion. "How? Is there some door out of here?"

The other Shego shook her head. "No, but I have an idea." She smiled evilly.

"What idea-" Shego was cut off as a fist rushed forward and struck her hard across the face.

(The D.E.A.D. Maintenance Chamber: Now)

Shego's head rocked back and hit hard against the inside of the tank's glass. The blow hurt, but it was the familiar dull muted pain she felt as a D.E.A.D. rather then the living pain she had been reacquainted with in inner space. A quick look-over showed that her arm had regenerated back completely and flesh had grown back over her kneecap. The sight of her injuries being fully repaired worried her; she didn't know how long she'd been in the tank. For all she knew, Kim had already been… She refused to allow herself to think such things; they would only serve to distract her from the task at hand.

The former thief quickly looked around within the tank looking for some kind of emergency release switch. She didn't need to search for long; she found what she was looking for brightly labeled near the tanks bottom. Shego took a hold of the lever and pulled hard releasing it. Almost immediately the liquid within the tank started to drain out, slowly at first but soon picked up momentum until the tank was fully drained and the glass around her retracted up into the ceiling. Shego jumped down and went to grab her discarded uniform not even bothering to wipe away the Regel still clinging to her form, before she pulled her uniform up over her nude body.

The uniform was still a mess, completely seared and torn to hell, almost to the point of indecency. Her right sleeve, and right knee had been seared off and the armored metal portions were irrecoverable. She secured it on regardless of its state and was about to launch herself forward but something alarming caught her eye. Her skin was a different color. Somehow it had gone from dark olive to its original pale green complexion. Not only that but she could tell from her lopsided bangs hanging in front of her eyes that her hair had gone back to sable-black.

_Why did… _She shook her head. _Who cares, I don't have time for this! _She bolted forward without a second thought.

(The Main Laboratory: Now)

"_This is the fun part; this is where I avenge what you did to Shego!"_

"_If you really wanted to avenge Shego, you'd put that gun against __your__ head." Kim stated coldly._

_Drakken roared out, Kim heard the sound of metal slide against metal as he pulled the trigger, and then-_

Suddenly the thick metal doors to the far room exploded outward in black flame, the heat and pressure more than enough to send Drakken crashing to the hard iron surface. Both the blue scientist and the redheaded hero looked up and over in equal parts shock and horror at the figure standing there among the raging ebony flames. Drakken's eyes widened when the smoke cleared enough for him to get a discerning look at the interrupting presence.

The woman standing there was Mayhem at first glance, tall, with a muscular but lithe build, short spiky hair with jagged bangs longer on the right side. But her colors were all off, all inverted like in a photonegative. So were her eyes, instead of the white 'bull's eyes' they were an intense reflective green. Their expression when they made contact with the mad doctor was one of barely contained rage. She looked almost exactly like-

"Shego!" Kim shouted at the woman in obvious relief.

Chapter 15: End


	16. Sin Unforgivable

I do not own Kip Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 16: Sin Unforgivable

_What to do first? _Shego thought as she slowly made her way towards the two stunned individuals staring up at her in open awe. Her sudden appearance alone must have been shocking enough without taking into account her newly altered appearance. However, Shego was far too busy arranging her long list of priorities to make any kind of notice.

_I could free Kimmie first… _the late thief thought idly, _but I doubt she'd let me do what I'm planning to. It's better to get my dirty business out of the way ahead of time. Then I'll let her go, but only after I've finished…__**Drakken**__ comes first._

The undead woman took deliberate and measured steps towards where Drakken had been knocked to the hard and cold metal floor. The azure inventor stared up at the intrusive presence at a complete and total loss for words. Cautiously, he inclined his beady gaze up to look upon her cruelly smirking face as she made her way over to where he lay. She grinned from ear to ear revealing her unnatural razor sharp teeth, not a pleasant expression to be on the receiving end of to say the least. Then Shego finally spoke:

"Hey Dr. D. Long time, huh?" If one did not see the look on Shego's face, the pale woman's words would have sounded almost friendly and amiable. However, taking her expression under consideration made the tone she had opted to speak with little more than calculated viciousness.

As she approached her ex-employer, he looked up at her with undisguised shock written across his sky-blue features, and much to Shego's disgust, delight. The pale thief had no idea what thoughts were running through his damaged psyche but whatever they were, being happy to see her at that moment should have been that last thing on the blue scientist's mind. The good doctor was in for a rude awakening if he thought that it was a good thing to be in the same room as Shego. Drakken apparently thought otherwise, however, considering that his first action since being thrown across the floor by that explosion was to quickly scurry to his feet and run up to the undead woman taking both of her cold hands within his, barely able to contain his glee.

"Shego! Shego is that you? H-how?" He shook his head, "It doesn't matter, oh look your sneering at me like you used to! Wonderful!"

Shego turned her gaze away from the rambling lunatic and looked over at Kim still wrapped tightly in chains looking over at the both of them with an expression of apprehension. The redhead was probably starting to think the worst. Shego honestly didn't blame her.

"Shego… are you… I mean…" Kim struggled to vocalize her question. The redhead honestly had no idea what it was she was trying to ask the older woman. Shego was different than she had been hours ago, but how or why she could not say. The news of her death and her apparent resurrection still weighed heavily on the young teen's thoughts throwing the cheerleader's mind into total disarray.

Annoyed at the sound of Kim's voice interrupting this "reunion" Drakken turned to the young Possible and barked out "Quiet! Can't you see this is a private conversation? Just sit there like a good girl and _shut up_!" He was very lucky that it was his hands wrapped around Shego's and not the other way around because were it reversed, his words towards Kim would have resulted in the frail bones in his hands being crushed to splinters.

Shego for her part could barely keep a lid on her growing anger, looking down at the weak man holding onto her hands as though she were some life-preserver for his sanity, completely ignoring how he had treated her weakened self, abused her, used her like a tool, tortured her. Did he honestly think those things were unrelated? Did he truly believe that that loathing wouldn't follow over to her, even after she regained herself? Was it naivety, blind faith, misplaced hope, or simple disjointed madness? If Shego were forced to guess, she would have settled on the last option given.

Drakken then released his grip on her hands, at least partly and pointed over in Kim's direction, excited as a child on Christmas day. "Oh, look Shego! Your just in time, I'm about to kill your murderer! You see?" He was too in his own little world to notice the pale woman's nostrils flare and her eyes narrow into dangerous slits. Kim however did, and her eyes widened in realization. _Shego…?_

"My…_murderer_ you say?" She asked, her ragged black bangs concealing her eyes. Her voice seemed to show that she was actually trying her best to mask the boiling rage steadily building inside of her. "Tell me something Doc, y'see my memory's a tad fuzzy on this point… how _exactly_ do you figure that _Kim Possible_ killed me?"

Drakken turned to look at her in complete surprise, his mouth a perfect "O" before sneering hardheartedly in Kim's direction and pointing a short black latex-covered index finger accusingly towards the teen hero. "She kept ruining my plans, she and that buffoon of hers kept showing up and destroying my- I mean _our_ hard work!" His shoulder's shook as he looked over at the restrained redhead. "She forced me to summon up that thing that killed you! Don't you see?**She** killed you! If she didn't exist you'd still be alive!" He looked over at Shego with a desperate pleading look in his beady black eyes. "Do you see that I can avenge you now? Why I must?"

Shego steadily raised her head so that he could see her eyes through her bangs. In horror Drakken stepped back, and Kim gasped, and would have covered her mouth were the action possible. Shego looked utterly corybantic; her eyes almost seemed to be radiating a faint red light and her lips curled into a feral snarl. Even still, despite this her words were in a measured neutral tone.

"I see…" She hissed through sharp grit teeth. "So tell me one last thing,**Drakken**; why did you decide that treating me like a piece of**dog shit** for the last three months was a good idea?" The red light her eyes were shining with seemed much brighter now than it had been mere seconds before.

Drakken blanched in shock and took several nervous steps back from the fuming figure in front of him, just now beginning to realize that Shego was certainly not happy with him. However he couldn't at the moment fathom what he had done to elicit such an extreme reaction. It had been Mayhem that he had treated poorly, not Shego, never Shego! He wasted no time telling her exactly that and in doing so effectively removed whatever had been plugging up a very _very_ active volcano.

"**NOT ME**?" she roared, abandoning completely here calm and neutral voice. "Did you just say that the one you were pushing around the whole time**WASN'T ME**?" She marched towards him, and in a panic, Drakken backpedaled as fast as he could to maintain a healthy distance between the two of them. He wasn't anywhere near fast enough to keep up the significant pace required and soon found himself eye to glowing red eye with his late assistant.

"Shego you have to believe me, I-"

No! I don't_have to_ do anything! I never _have to_ do anything! Get it?" She saw sweat pour down his blue brow as he suddenly backed hard into the far wall leaving him no room to move or more importantly escape. It was ironic that it was at that exact time that he remembered just how dangerous and utterly deadly a D.E.A.D. was capable of being. Before the blue doctor had a chance to run to the side, two vice-like grips clamped down tightly onto his shoulders holding the scientist firmly in place.

"Lets make one thing perfectly clear _Dr. D_. You seem confused so I'll spell it out nice and neat for you; Every time you pushed Mayhem around like an animal you did that to **ME**. Every time you refused to give Mayhem a transfusion and left her to her unbearable _agony_, you did it to **ME**, and every time you lied to her, and made her think she was nothing, you were doing that to **ME**."

During all of this Kim tried her best to try to twist her head over her shoulder and get a look at what was happening in her blind spot. Shego was definitely irate and while she wasn't sure about most of what the older woman was accusing Drakken of doing, she knew it was certainly true, he had abused her and treated her like a thing. She only hoped Shego didn't let her rage blind her or do something she'd later regret.

Drakken shook his head back and forth in fervent denial, which only increased the tightness of the grip on his shoulders causing him to wince. "I… No she wasn't, I mean… I swear I didn't mean…" Suddenly his brow furrowed.

"Wait! I brought you back from death, you should be _grateful_ to me, thanking me even! Were it not for me-"

"Were it not for you I'd still be alive in the first place!" She roared, stopping his words instantly. She ignored seeing the color drain from his face and proceeded. "What bullshit have you been feeding yourself? Kimmie killed me? _Kim Possible_ killed me? My god, what irresponsible _garbage_! **You** were the one who had the great idea to find some monster, an idea I tried to stop but you didn't listen! You are the one who killed me Drakken! You did, and I should fucking return the favor!"

In a single swift motion Shego's hands moved from his shoulders to his pale blue throat lifting the man up into the air and squeezing down onto his airways. His face began to turn a dark purple shade of blue and veins bulged up and along his neck. His small hands clawed at her arms uselessly as she increased her grip. "You trapped me in a shell, Drakken! You brought me back to a living hell!"

"Shego!" Kim's panicked words shouted out towards the pale thief as she continued her death grip on the steadily asphyxiating scientist. Kim couldn't see exactly what was occurring, but Drakken's chocked and halted breathing was more than enough to clue the heroine in. "Shego stop!"

A gurgling series of words managed to push up from the inventor's restricted throat, "I… did… it… for… you…" forced itself through his lips as his bloodshot eyes began to roll up back into his skull. Ignoring his words Shego grinned heartlessly.

"Yeah, and nothing can compare to my gratitude to you, not even my _**HATRED**_!"

"Shego, he's not worth it, don't do this!" Kim's desperate shouting suddenly cut through Shego's thoughts as she continued to hold on to Drakken's throat.

"No!" Shego roared turning her burning red eyes towards the redhead. Kim had managed to angle her head around tearing more at her already injured shoulder. Shego was far too busy to notice or care though, this was personal and in her opinion a long time coming. "Shut up, Kim! I would've waited an _eternity_ for this!"

Kim shook her head undeterred. She couldn't let Shego do this, not even to a bastard like Drakken. "Do you really want to take another life?" She shouted pleadingly. "Is that the person you are now?"

"Goddamn it!" Shego's grip on the man's throat loosened slightly as she turned her body around to face Kim. She winced slightly when she noticed the blood trailing down the teen's right arm. Her insides knotted up especially when she remembered that she had been the one to cause that particular injury in the first place. Despite this, her anger was still raging; she simply couldn't leave things as they were, not after what she had been put through. Gritting her teethe, she turned away from Kim and looked down at Drakken's asphyxiating body. "He turned me into a monster, he used me, made me kill so many people! He deserves to die more than **anyone**!"

"I know you're angry and he did use you but… I know you Shego! Despite everything that happened you are **not** a killer!" Kim shouted with as much conviction as she could physically manage.

"I AM!" Shego lowered her head, her grip on the man beginning to loosen more and more. The shock of coming back to who she was had long since worn off and all she was left with was memory of the sins she had committed while she was Mayhem. She could never say that it hadn't been her who did those terrible things, she remembered everything, and knew that in the end despite the duress she had been put under; the choice had been hers to take those lives. "I've killed and maimed and… I really… _am_ a monster…"

"NO!" Kim shouted adamantly trying to regain Shego's attention. "Your not, Shego! I-I don't know what happened back then but… but…" Kim's voice began to choke up when she realized that she really didn't know what to say. What was there to say? _I don't know what's been happening, I don't know why she's acting like Shego now but seemed different back then, I don't know anything… _She realized, unlike what she was used to, she had no previous experience or plan to call forth; she was helpless and chained down to a thrice damned metal chair and completely unable to do anything. _That doesn't matter; all that matters is helping Shego before she does something really stupid! I know I can!_

"Shego…" she said, not shouting this time, her voice level and calm despite the circumstances. "A monster wouldn't regret her actions like you are, or have a conscience. But you have both those things. You know what you've done is wrong, and it's hurting you terribly inside… But if you kill Drakken, than it won't matter, you'd be knowingly doing something you'd never be able to take back. Don't do this, please!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Shego's shoulders tensed and for a moment it seemed like she hadn't heard Kim's words, but slowly her fingers parted from around Drakken's neck letting the man slump unconscious to the floor. The undead woman just stood there for a moment, her back turned away from Kim as she looked down at Drakken's rapidly bruising throat. She stood there not moving, still as a stone, looking down at the man who had started this entire nightmare. Her mind was completely numb, higher thoughts were simply beyond her ability at the moment; all she could do was stare and let the cruel reality surrounding her sink in.

Kim looked over at where Shego stood silently; worry slowly building as the minutes ticked by. _Is she all right? Well duh she's not all right, would I be? Stupid question… What am I going to do now? I said I'd help fix Shego but… I mean what can I do to help her really? I don't know… but I'll try, no matter what! I'll do whatever it takes!_

Suddenly, much to Kim's surprise, Shego whipped around with her usual cocky grin spread across her face. "Okay, well let's get you out of that chair. Shall we, Princess?" She walked over, and Kim couldn't help looking up at the taller woman inquisitively. It wasn't possible to swing back around from that kind of anger so quickly, even for Shego.

When the pale thief made her way over to where Kim was sitting she reached over and wrapped her right hand tightly around the bundle of chains circling the teen's narrow midsection. With what appeared to be the barest indication of exertion, Shego pulled her hand away and the torn and clattering chains along with it. She quickly repeated the action with all of the other chains until Kim was completely free of her metal restraints. Rather than stand up however, Kim favored Shego with cautious scrutiny._ I'll bet she's just putting on a confident show. In fact, up close that smile of hers looks pretty damn forced._

Misinterpreting Kim's hesitation, Shego held out her pale hand to help the redhead up to her feet. Kim looked at the pale offered appendage and slowly reached up to take hold of it. With neither wearing their gloves the contrasting sensation of Shego's cold unyielding flesh against Kim's soft and warm hand made Kim shiver involuntarily. It was more reminiscent of holding the hand of a statue rather than that of a human woman. If Shego noticed Kim's reaction, she didn't call attention towards it (of which Kim was grateful). Shego merely smiled that empty smile and hauled the redhead back to her feet.

Without waiting for Kim to follow, the undead woman turned and began walking away. Not one to be left behind under the circumstances, Kim turned her eyes warily towards where Drakken laid unconscious against the far wall before she ran to catch up to the retreating older woman. When she made her way towards Shego's side, she stole a glance at the pale woman's profile. She had abandoned that fake smile and indeed any expression whatsoever. Kim didn't know what the woman was thinking about but whatever it was weighed down terribly upon her thoughts.

The cheerleader risked breaking the pervasive silence as they made their way towards the door to the massive chamber. "Shego, are you… are you alright?"

Shego turned to Kim and smiled that same empty smile as before. Looking at it made Kim's heart wrench. "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me." Even her voice's tone sounded poorly faked. Like a robot trying its best to sound human.

"You don't sou-"

"I'm fine." Shego repeated gently, cutting Kim off. "C'mon, lets go, we have a lot to do."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked. She assumed Shego meant calling the authorities, which Kim intended to do when she found where Drakken hid her Kimmunicator's plutonium power-pack. However, Kim got the feeling that her companion meant something different entirely.

Without halting her stride or turning to face the cheerleader, Shego spoke out; "We have to destroy everything here, the files, the machines, and especially the _Substance_, you have _no_ idea how dangerous that crap is." Her voice sounded steady and determined which since trying to kill Drakken were the first genuine sounding words she had spoken.

_Well I'm glad she has a plan… hold on without those machines and notes how will we help her?_

Kim quickly ran up and stopped so that she were in front of Shego, halting the older woman's progress. "Wait a second Shego, how do we fix you then? Don't we need those files to figure out what Drakken did and how to undo it?" She asked with her voice slightly apprehensive.

"…" Shego said nothing; she just continued to stare at Kim frowning slightly before finally breaking her gaze. "Kimmie…"

Kim's eyes widened in sudden horrifying realization, "Shego you… you don't intend to be helped do you." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

Shego sighed (which was entirely for Kim's benefit since she didn't need to breathe) and looked over at Kim sympathetically, deciding to try to explain her situation as calmly as she could manage. "Kim, I _can't_ be fixed. I'm dead; do you get it? My times up, games over, curtain call, bought the farm, however you'd like to put it." She shrugged and shook her head. "There is _no_ helping me." She added vehemently. _Kim please don't make this harder than it has to be._

Kim glared up at Shego and crossed her arms petulantly. "I don't believe that. I think, no, I _know_ there is some way to help you," she added strongly. _There is no way in hell that after all that's happened I'm gonna let it end like this._

Shego lowered her head and rubbed her brow, trying her best to be patient with the young hero before looking up at her and placing her hand on the girls shoulder. "Kim…"

"No," Kim stepped back shrugging off Shego's hand and looking up at her with rigid conviction, "if your standing here in front of me, _talking_ to me, that makes you alive. I don't want to hear anything more on this "I'm dead" crap." She added with complete certitude.

For a while neither said anything. Both women just stood still standing their ground and looking one-another in the eye. Neither had any intention of backing down to the other on where they stood. Honestly, between the two of them, despite the current circumstances, it was the most normal interaction they had had since Shego had taken her last breath four months ago. The corners of Shego's lips twitched slightly and she was forced to turn her head away from Kim to hide her smile, essentially conceding Kim the victory of their stare down.

Shego looked over at Kim with a look of poorly concealed amusement, "Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now?" the undead woman asked.

"Yes, yes I do." Kim said with rigid seriousness before breaking into an impish smirk.

Shego sighed and shrugged. _It's hopeless. Well I'll let her think what she likes. There still is a lot of work to do and the last thing I need is to spend all of my time arguing with her. _"…We still need to destroy the Substance, which I'm not being flexible on, that shit is **beyond** dangerous. You have no idea what it could do if it got into the hands of someone else. It could and would destroy_everything_." She added lacking all humor in her voice.

Kim made a dismissive hand gesture and smiled, her attitude not affected at all by Shego's change in mood. "No big, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She turned and walked off in the direction of the maintenance station.

Shego "tsked" disapprovingly and ran up beside her. "You're impossible, Possible."

"Heh, I know."

Getting in front of Kim, Shego smirked. "Okay, lets bring this place down!"

(Main Chamber: Now)

The first thing Drakken felt as he came back to consciousness was the freezing cold tearing through his uniform. His throat ached horribly and each frosted breath was throbbing torture and raw soreness. He found when he tried to move that he had a headache to absolutely end all things causing the blue man to groan and fall back to the floor from when he tried to move. Slowly he managed to prop himself into a sitting position and lean back against the frosted metal wall. Small clouds of chilled air escaped his lips with every bated breath.

The temperature could only have meant that he was sitting in the main chamber, by why on earth would he have been there in the first place? His thoughts were hazy and completely jumbled. The few clear images he had of the last hour were a strange montage of anger and accusation, words without pictures to lend context to them. Also there was something else… what was it? Something along the back of his mind was driving him absolutely crazy, or at least beyond his standard insanity, what could it be…?

"Shego!"

He suddenly stood up, and then fell back hard against the far wall clutching his aching head. That was what happened! He wasn't sure why but for some reason Shego came back! The more recent flood of memories that accompanied it immediately weighed down the momentary elation that came along with that realization. As he recalled what had resulted in him unconscious on the floor his blood ran cold and drained from his face. The truth of the matter was simply too much for the man to bear.

_Oh my god, she tried to __**kill**__ me! I brought her back and she tried to kill me. Why? What did I do wrong? None of this makes any sense. Kim Possible! She did this! She turned Shego against me! Gargh!_

It was like a sick parody of all of his dreams. He hoped, dreamed, wished, prayed, that that horrible façade wearing Shego's face would be banished into oblivion one day and be replaced by the proud woman she had been fashioned after. Apparently some how, against all odds and beyond the blue scientist's understanding, that dream had come true. But sick and wrong! She wasn't supposed to hate him; Shego was supposed to be moved to tears by the sacrifices he made for her! He captured Kim Possible to avenge her death, but for some reason she actually _freed_ that blasted redhead! Why? This was all wrong, not the way it was meant to be, some kind of divine punishment!

_She said… I was to blame for what happened to her. Shego told me that __**I**__ killed her… But NO! NO! NO! GODDAMNIT! NO! I didn't, she was wrong; I'd never hurt her! _Suddenly his expression hardened as he considered what the only viable answer to his questions could be.

_Kim Possible… Mayhem acted strange the moment she encountered her… I'll bet that Kim and that little brat who supplies her with her gear did something to her when they first met, I wouldn't put it past her. She brainwashed Shego! Wait… but how? Shego's body is indestructible, how could Kim even get close enough for such a thing? Rrrr… How does that bitch do __**anything**__ she does? She's out of her mind if she thinks I'll let her ruin my plans and take Shego away from me after all I've been through!_

These thoughts fueled a fire of righteous indignation within Drakken as he thought of all that ways he would repay Kim in kind for distorting Mayhem's (and by proxy Shego's ) mind and turning her against him. But that lit flame flickered momentarily when he realized something; what could he possible do in retaliation?

_D.E.A.D. 01 is still in the system undergoing the final stages in his processing, which will take at least another couple of days… and there is no way I would dare reactivate __**HIM**__, that monster is too powerful and to difficult to control, what can I do? All the armory has is that old death-ray and that thing's on a fixed turret. It'd be useless! Dammit, what can I do?_

Drakken's anger began to be nudged aside to make way for a far less useful emotion; despair. What could he do? Kim and now Shego too were planning to ruin all of his hard work and effort, and if he didn't act soon Shego would be lost to him for good. He had to save her but he had no idea how! There were no other options left to him.

"_**But there are, Doctor, many more options."**_

The sudden voice forced Drakken to his feet in a panic, his eyes shifting left and right in a vain attempt to discover its unknown source. The voice in question was as though an entire chorus had spoken out as one, all within his very mind. Had he imagined it? Was his grip slipping well beyond even a trace of stability?

"_**We can assure you Doctor that your mental state is well within acceptable parameters."**_

The voice was real! It was speaking clear as a bell through his thoughts, in his_head_! "W-what are you? Where are you?" He looked from left to right for any hint as to its origin.

"_**We have no designation as such, but humans similar to yourself have labeled our collective form by many titles; Methuselah, Seed, and now in this spatial plane, Substance. Any of these will suffice."**_

In shock, Drakken's hand flew to his pocket where he had been holding the small vial of Substance he had shown Kim. Slowly, with surgical caution, Drakken reached his gloved hand within his pocket and carefully withdrew the vial filled with the glowing blue-white liquid. He stared at it in awe. "Y-you mean this, I mean _you_, are alive?" It was unfathomable, he had spent countless hours studying the strange chemical and while it was nearly impossible to crack the puzzle that was the Substance, it never displayed any hint of life or even less so, intelligence, of any kind.

"_**We are. In fact, we are a far more advanced life form than anything within this spatial plane. You still rely on basic cell structures governed by DNA sequencing. We however have evolved far beyond such inefficient processes."**_

Drakken narrowed his eyes at the vial. "Wait, if that's true, why didn't you talk before this? Why now?"

"_**We felt it was unnecessary to engage in communication, events had been progressing smoothly without our interference. That however has changed."**_

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"_**We need you, Doctor. If you are apprehended, your plans, and by proxy OUR plans will be severely impeded and our continued existence on this spatial plane will be threatened."**_

"My plans?" He asked. What did this… _Seed_, need with him? This was like a bad science fiction movie. The Substance was an alien? Honestly? "What do you need with me?"

"_**We seek to make a deal with you, a deal that we have made with two humans prior to our arrival in this dimension. We will grant you power, power your frail mind cannot even fathom. You will be able to fulfill all of your mortal desires."**_

Drakken's eyes nearly bugged out. It sounded too good to be true. _That much power, how? What can this stuff even do? Wait, I don't have time to be indecisive, who knows what kind of damage Kim is doing to my work! And Shego is helping her! GARGH! _He turned his gaze back at the Seed, which seemed to have been waiting patiently for his answer. "If I accept… will I be able to get Shego back?"

"_**The Necrolizer you created from that mutant? …Indeed, you could re-obtain her. So, do you accept?"**_

_I feel like I'm forgetting something… but no matter. I have no choice._ He narrowed his eyes. "What do I do?"

Drakken nearly choked on his own spit when he got his answer. Steeling himself, the azure inventor reached within his pocket and withdrew a small injector. Carefully, the blue scientist loaded the vial within the tool, and rolled up his right sleeve. _I hope this works… _Placing the device against his bare arm, he depressed the trigger. The machine made a faint hissing noise as the pale blue liquid injected within his arm. As soon as its horrible contents forced its way inside his flesh, Drakken realized what he had forgotten. He forgot to ask what the Seed wanted from him in return.

It was the biggest mistake Dr. Drakken would _ever_ make.

(The D.E.A.D. Maintenance Chamber: Now)

"So, this is where you go to heal your injuries?" Kim asked as she idly walked around the poorly lit chamber.

The walls were covered in advanced (likely stolen) monitoring equipment, all centered around some kind of empty glass chamber large enough to hold a full grown person which was fixed in the center of the room. Off to the side of the large chamber was a tall harsh metal seat imbedded into the far wall. Tiny flecks of dried blood were all over the arm, foot, and neck rests. It seemed like something built to restrain but the general layout of the room didn't hint towards it being used as any kind of holding cell, making the chairs purpose all the more dubious.

Shego shrugged as she searched, answering the question off handedly. "If they're bad enough, but this place is mostly used for…" She visibly checked herself, and finished her sentence quickly to try not to call her attention to it. "I mean it's used for a lot of stuff."

"Hey wait," Kim asked knowing when someone was dodging an issue. "What's that chair-thing?" She asked curiously, pointing to the strange metal seat she had looked over moments before.

"That?" Shego asked in surprise. "Um …Nothing, just one of Drakken's failed experiments," she said unconvincingly, quickly turning her back away from Kim and scrolling through the displays on the many monitors.

"…Really?" Kim asked unconvinced as she downloaded the files onto her Kimmunicator's portable hardrive. The redhead had yet to find its battery but it had other uses. "That's all it is?" She turned to look at Shego to try to stare it out of the older woman. To her annoyance, Shego wasn't even paying attention, she seemed to be busy searching for… something, Kim wasn't sure what. Or maybe she was just trying to appear too busy to answer Kim's prying questions.

"Dammit where the hell are the Substance containers?" Shego shouted, kicking over the closest monitor in frustration. The circuits sparked and hissed when it collided with the hard metal floor. "I thought he kept them here but I can't find them anywhere. For that matter, where is he keeping Fist?" She hadn't seen the late-monkey master since she as Mayhem had presented him to Drakken over three hours ago. Where was Fist being kept? _Wherever he is, I'll bet that the Substance tanks are in there with him._

Kim shrugged, not sure what she could say that would be of any help. "What do you think Drakken wanted to do with him?"

Shego paused from kicking over another monitor and looked over at Kim with a humorless smirk. "My best guess? Do to Fist was he was fixing to do to _you_."

Kim shuddered at the thought. "That's so sick and wrong," she said unconsciously channeling Ron. _Now that I think about it, Drakken said Shego was D.E.A.D. 00, and I was going to be D.E.A.D. 02, I guess that means… I hope not, I don't know what we would do in that kind of stitch._

"Tell me about it." The late-thief added as Kim and she went back to searching around the cold metal hallways in search of some kind of hint as to where Drakken might have been keeping the juicy stuff.

As they made their way along the dark halls, Kim couldn't help but steal glances over at Shego. For the most part, the thief looked almost identical to how she had before this completely miserable series of events; however, there were still some differences. Her hair was still short (of course), her body was still larger and the muscles still more pronounced, _and her hand… when I touched it, it was like holding hands with an icicle. What's it like for her? How different is her body, compared to how she used to be? Can she tell the difference, can she feel pain? What was it like to die? God Kim, you can't ask her something like that… _But despite her internal advice, Kim almost automatically began to form the words to her question.

"Hey She-"

"Argh!" Shego exclaimed in frustrated annoyance. "I guess we'd better go wake up Drakken and force him to tell us where he's been hiding everything. We're not going to find it otherwise," Shego said irritably, having been too in her own head to notice the redhead's change in mood.

"What?" Kim asked startled out of her reverie by Shego's sudden harsh statement. When she realized what had been said she sighed and nodded, slightly disappointed that she had missed what seemed like a good window of opportunity to ask what she wanted to ask. "Oh, ok…"

"God this place is huge." The pale woman stated offhandedly as they made their way back over to the main chamber.

Thinking about it, it really was a surprisingly large metal complex all things considered. The many rooms were all massive and the hallways were spacious. Were it not for it's poor lighting and generally creepy atmosphere, it would have been one of the more upscale lairs Kim had ever been to. "Yeah, how did Drakken even get a hold of this place?"

Shego looked over her shoulder at Kim without slowing her pace, "It was a bomb shelter his father built during the cold war, paranoid, no?" She smirked, an expression Kim had been relieved to see considering the last couple of days. "We're over a mile underground, did you know that?" she added offhandedly as though it wasn't worth more than a footnote.

"A mile!" Kim nearly shrieked. _We're a __**mile**__ deep?_

"Yeah, the Lipsky's used to have money to burn 'fore Drakken wasted it." Shego added bitterly, not only at thinking about Drakken, but at all the times she had been coerced into lending the man money.

After ten minutes, the two finally reached the main chamber, and pushed through the heavy double doors. The room was as cold as Kim remembered; in fact it felt even colder. Why on earth was that room kept so damn chilled? She almost envied Shego, the cold wouldn't have reached her even before being turned into a D.E.A.D. Shaking her mind from the useless thoughts, Kim looked to where the two of them had left Drakken unconscious on the floor after Shego had gotten a bit overenthusiastic with displaying her displeasure with the man. To both the women's confusion, the spot on the floor was empty. All that was there in its place was a broken glass container.

"Hey, where is-"

Kim's words were cut off suddenly when the sound of something whistling through the air flew past her head and slammed into Shego sending the undead woman flying backwards and slammed hard into the far wall. When the dust and frost kicked up from the heavy impact cleared, Kim saw that Shego had a three-foot-long black nail piercing through her abdomen and pinning her to the wall like an insect on display. Black fluid dripped from the wound crackling when it hit the cold floor.

"SHEGO!" She screamed out running over to her place on the wall. The nail going through the pale woman was almost as thick as a man's fist and imbedded into the metal wall two feet deep. Ignoring the pain, Shego wrapped her hands tightly around the black shaft and began slowly pulling it free from both the wall and her stomach. The pale woman didn't seem to be under much pain or strain other than the shock of the act itself, which calmed Kim's frazzled nerves down some.

The redhead quickly turned to find the source of the attack. Motion from out of the corner of her left eye forced Kim to flip out of the way as a near identical nail flew past her face close enough that the wind brushed against her left ear before imbedding itself into the wall across the room. Breathing hard, the cheerleader looked up when she heard the steady sound of footsteps on metal make their way towards them from the chamber's forbidding darkness.

Drakken's familiar silhouette stepped casually towards them through the surrounding lightlessness, two red points of light piercing through the overbearing black. Slowly he brought his right hand up and held it into the light revealing the same latex-gloved hand Kim had grown used to. What she had definitely _not_ grown used to however, was when a large black spike began to twist and form out of his palm before a third nail erupted outward, which the teen barely managed to duck under.

With a dry throaty laugh, Drakken stepped fully into the light, or at least Kim thought it was Drakken. His eyes were little more than two bright blood-red beacons shining from his eye sockets, and his skin had turned blue-white with a translucent smoothness, like frosted glass. A weird crooked smile played across his lips as he regarded the two women.

"**Hey, Shego, want to hear about my great new plan?" **He inquired coyly. The voice was definitely Drakken's but there was an unnatural second voice speaking under it giving it the quality of sound through a broken stereo.

Finally wrenching herself free from her sudden impalement Shego landed back on the floor still holding the metal nail before tossing the unwelcome object aside with a heavy clang and running up to Kim's side. She regarded her ex-employer with growing horror building in her heart. _You didn't! You couldn't have!_

"Drakken? W-what did you do to yourself?" The horror in her voice only caused the hairs on the back of Kim's neck to stand on end.

The former scientist smirked and shrugged. **"I had a bit of a makeover is all, on a genetic level,"** He tsked when he saw Shego's hand's suddenly erupt in black flames as she and Kim fell into battle-ready stances.** "Oh, a fight?" **He asked in surprise, seeming genuinely amused by the prospect.

"**Hah, alright, I accept. Just let me just put on my game face…"** Drakken crossed his arms in front of his body and lowered his head, then shut his eyes tightly as though summoning forth his will. Suddenly dozens of hairline cracks began to from along his surface, blinding blue light pouring from every new fissure along his apparently crystalline exterior. Kim and Shego stepped back suddenly when he spread his arms and shouted out.** "HA!"**

Suddenly his entire body exploded in that same blinding whiteness, forcing Kim to abandon her stance and cover her eyes to keep from going blind from the awful radiance. Shego's more resilient eyes were able to discern very little but there was definite movement within the erupting energy.

When the light finally died down, an enormous shadow fell over the both of them, a writhing clanking, and terrible shadow concealing an even more horrible form. Several red lights from the center of the awful mass focused down at the two of them with malevolent intent. Then the thing spoke,

"**GET A GOOD LOOK GIRLS, BECAUSE THIS IS THE FORM THAT'S ABOUT TO PUT YOU IN YOUR **_**GRAVES!**_**"**

Chapter 16: End


	17. Everybody Dies

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Chapter 17: Everybody Dies

In Kim's seventeen years of life she had witnessed and done battle with horrible, fantastic things the likes of which the world had never seen. She'd fought a giant combat robot made from video game platforms; an insane, mutated fishman intent on turning everyone else into fishmen, too; a crazy golfing fanatic with a penchant for high explosives; an avatar of the Egyptian god Anubis; and above all, an incredibly skilled, plasma-wielding, semi-deceased thief. Kim had survived deathtraps, and saved the world against all odds more times than anyone could reasonably be expected to count. However, despite all of that experience, and beyond all she had borne witness to, nothing had ever compared to the utter abomination that currently loomed over both Shego and herself.

Drakken, if it still was Drakken, had completely abandoned even the slightest trace of his humanity. The massive form staring down at her with at least seven eyes was equal parts twisted flesh and awful machinery. The word "cyborg" didn't even begin to cover it. The redhead couldn't tell where the flesh ended and the metal began, as both were woven together in such a horrific tapestry that it made any such distinctions irrelevant. The asymmetrical figure was easily twenty-five feet tall and the flesh which was exposed was that same crystalline ice-blue; however, the majority of his "skin" was covered in some kind of black leather-like fabric and secured by metal belts bolted to the machines jutting out from all sides of Drakken's body.

The entire upper torso of what could very charitably be called his body was covered in spidery metal limbs each ending in surgical implements, while his lower half was awkwardly supported by three thick steel struts so heavy that the metal floor itself was accumulating potholes where the struts had been. A covering similar to a gas mask was secured tightly over Drakken's mouth and nose (assuming he still _had_ a mouth or nose) and his lightly scarred left eye had swelled into a wide red lens bordered by loose wiring, wiring that throbbed as it pumped mysterious chemicals into an unknown receptacle. The rest of his face was covered in random red eyes all glowing with terrible brightness as they focused down on the two women. To which Shego wittily replied: "Well that's… new."

While his capacity for facial expression had all but crumbled away along with his human form, it was more than obvious that the mutated scientist was grinning.

Slowly the front-right support strut lifted itself from the ground and swung forward, hanging its barbed drill-like tip in the air for almost a minute before crashing into the metal plating of the floor several feet past its initial crater. Steadily, one after the other, the other two struts loped along, almost gliding Drakken's massive new form towards the two women staring up at him in horror.

Almost unconsciously, Shego and Kim found themselves moving back several steps for each of Drakken's. The cavernous room all of a sudden seemed somewhat cramped, a terrifying thought for the two women. Kim in particular was frightened; she was good at evasion, but if an enemy were to box her in...

Shego spoke to Kim in a tone that barely concealed her mounting unease, making sure all the while to keep her eyes locked onto the sharp implements swaying lazily on Drakken's back.

"Hey Kimmie," she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yeah?" Kim asked, her eyes focused on the glowing red lens that was the madman's left eye.

"You remember how I told you that you had no idea how dangerous the Substance is?" The undead woman asked, taking another step back.

"I remember…" Kim said, as she mimicked Shego's cautious steps toward the room's entrance.

"Well, guess what? Turns out I didn't know either…" Shego finally said.

It was true too. As far as she had known, Fangoram and herself were the extent of the horrors Substance could birth. However, seeing this impossible _thing_ in front of her made the monster that she had become seem somewhat less than adequate. Honestly it didn't even make sense; how on earth did Drakken _grow_ machinery, and where did that "clothing" even come from? Did he somehow grow that too? Shego had never claimed to know much at all about science. She found it to be boring, and had avoided her ex-employer's lectures whenever possible. Despite that, she was fairly confident that what she saw now turned several laws of physics ass-over-tit.

"**DAMN RIGHT YOU DIDN'T," **Drakken shouted proudly, his broken-stereo voice echoing out of the two vents where his cheeks used to be, followed by white steam and red sparks. **"WHAT YOU SEE NOW IS A FORM THAT PERSONIFIES MY ASSURED **_**VICTORY**_**! I HAVE BECOME A LIVING GOD!" **At least four of his new eyes narrowed down at them. **"AND YOU TWO ARE JUST **_**BEGGING**_** TO BE SMOTE!"**

"**Run**!" Kim screamed as she saw the smooth glowing lens flare up in a blinding supernova of shimmering crimson.

Both women barely had enough time to jump away in opposite directions as a torrent of swirling red light erupted from the lens that once was Drakken's left eye. The air around the blast rippled and sizzled chaotically from the extreme heat and the metal wall in the path of the destruction did not so much melt on contact as disintegrate. The blast didn't stop there either, burning its way through several layers of ancient bedrock until a deep tunnel framed by rapidly cooling glass was all that remained. The new path went down far enough that Kim couldn't even see where it ended. The area of the floor leading back to the monster was a bubbling black streak.

_Holy...!__ If I'd been a second slower… _Despite having gotten at least sixteen feet from the blast radius, the sheer heat was so intense that Kim could feel minor burns all across the exposed flesh along her left side; they resembled a particularly nasty sunburn. The redhead quickly looked over to see how Shego had fared.

The undead thief had already gotten back to her feet; flickering red energy crackled around her body, showing how her barrier was keeping the damage at bay. Shego's body was far better equipped to deal with heat even before her resurrection, but Kim knew that being caught in that blast would have been more than enough to end her. _How the hell are we supposed to **beat**__ that thing? I don't even know what to aim for! _She lacked all of her field equipment and in this situation barehanded combat and acrobatics seemed somewhat inappropriate. Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of rasping mechanical laughter.

"**YOU SEE THAT KIM POSSIBLE?"** The insane man-machine gloated. **"HOW DO YOU LIKE MY NEW DEATH-RAY? NEAT, RIGHT?"** Several red eyes focused on the undead thief to his right. **"HONESTLY, WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A THIEF STEAL ONE FOR ME WHEN I CAN JUST GROW IT MYSELF? YOU'VE BEEN OUTSOURCED, SHEGO!"**

Kim grit her teeth, thinking fast before a grin spread across her face. "What do I think? I think it's _crap_, Drakken! Just like everything you've _ever_ built! You couldn't hit me with that popgun if I were in a _coma_! My dad builds better death rays in his _sleep_!" An earth trembling roar followed by twin jets of flame screamed out from the two vents along his face._That's right, get him angry, and get him stupid._ "Oh, but he _would_, wouldn't he?"

Kim's grin widened. "After all, he's a _real_ doctor! Isn't he, _Drew_?" Another roar pierced Kim and Shego's eardrums, this one even louder than the first.

The redhead cast a quick glance at Shego, who was looking at her as though she had completely lost her mind. _C'mon, Shego, think about it. I'll have him come after me and you can get behind him! I'm unarmed, you have to be the one to take him out, please understand._

"**DIDN'T YOUR MOMMY EVER TEACH YOU TO NEVER ANGER A GOD?"** He roared, slowly twisting his massive, unwieldy form in the heroine's direction and thankfully away from the thief. **"I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO CARVE THAT LESSON INTO YOUR FLESH SO YOU DON'T FORGET IN THE FUTURE… NOT THAT YOU EVEN **_**HAVE**_** A FUTURE!"**

Kim stole a glance at Shego to see if the pale woman had even the slightest inkling of what the cheerleader was planning. Across the room Shego's reflective emerald eyes made contact with Kim's. There was a significant pause before the late thief grinned slightly and began to step slowly around the hideous juggernaut that used to be her employer. _She gets it, thank God… Now to worry about-_

Automatically Kim flipped to the right narrowly avoiding a thick metal scalpel-like claw impaling where she'd stood milliseconds before. The claw's source was apparently one of the many flailing metal limbs growing around the scientist's bloated left shoulder. In quick succession four more of the edged implements struck out towards her, each tipped with a different, equally lethal weapon. With nary a millisecond to catch her breath, the redhead ducked one arm ending in a hacksaw, twisted to the right before she was caught by another limb ending in a scissor-like claw, then backflipped away from a singularly pile-driver-esque spike.

Her muscles screamed in protest, every ounce of her concentration focused utterly on avoiding one grisly end after another. _Hurry, Shego! __I don't know how much longer I can keep this up! I don't even know how I'm doing it _now

"**STAND STILL, YOU COCKROACH!" **Drakken screamed out in frustration as he lashed out with his new limbs always one half second behind the seventeen-year-old's movements. He wouldn't give her the gift of a quick and painless end from his death-ray, oh no. He needed this girl to suffer before she bled out. It was only a matter of time after all, she would tire, but he would not.

Even as she continued to avoid the strikes, Kim's quick mind worked in double-time, quickly figuring out what most would consider a dumb and very reckless plan. When the pile-driver limb came down in front of her for the third time rather than merely avoid the overhead strike, she twisted around and grabbed the metal limb tightly around the spike.

"**GAH, LET GO, YOU WORM!" **Drakken roared, furious that she would presume to grab hold of him. With a grunt of disgust, the blue inventor shook the limb back and forth in an attempt to knock the redhead off. Kim held on as tightly as she could as Drakken flailed the captured limb chaotically hell-bent on sending the young women flying into the wall and crushing her bones. Regardless, Kim's grip held firm.

After a minute of unsuccessfully swinging the limb around, Drakken vented more jets of flame in frustration. **"FINE, YOU'VE DUG YOUR OWN GRAVE!"** He brought up four of his other limbs and pointed them all directly at Kim. **"NOW YOU DIE!"** In a blur, all four deadly implements rushed forward to deliver instant death to the heroine, or would have if she hadn't chosen that exact moment to jump out of the way.

The four lethal tools smashed clean through the prone pile-driver arm, and straight into the "flesh" just above his left strut. The severed limb landed against the metal floor with a heavy clang before almost instantly disintegrating into blue-white fizzling sparkles.**"GARGH! DAMN YOU, POSSIBLE!" **he roared out in rage and pain.

"Hey, Dr. D!"

Surprised by the sudden and familiar voice behind him, Drakken ceased his screaming and slowly twisted his head around his grotesque right shoulder.

"**WHA…? -**_**ARGH**_ Suddenly searing pain spread across his back as twin waves of sable flame exploded against the unguarded "flesh".

A malicious sharp-toothed grin spread across the undead woman's face as she admired her handiwork. Her flame had blown two deep smoking gouges into her ex-employer's gargantuan back. However, instead of exposing blood, muscle tissue, and bone, the surface disintegrated into blue-white sparkles, fizzling as they faded out of existence. The wound itself was also disconcerting; there was nothing inside, and it was almost like chiseling two deep slashes across the back of a solid marble statue. There were even thin cracks split along the wounds. As far as Shego could tell, it was almost as though Drakken's body had crystallized down to his core.

"**A PATHETIC WRETCH LIKE YOU THINKS YOU CAN HARM **_**ME**_**? I **_**MADE**_** YOU, AND I INTEND TO **_**BREAK**_** YOU!" **Suddenly, much to the pale thief's abject horror, the damage she'd caused began to fill in, the cracks and fissures blended back into one another until his back returned to its state prior to the attack.

Kim on her end bore witness to her own offending display. Drakken grunted and vented steam as he pulled the four spider-like limbs impaling his side free. That wound also quickly healed away as though it had never been inflicted in the first place. Within the span of a minute, the mad doctor effectively erased away both women's efforts. The only thing that remained in ruins was the stump of the pile-driver limb. It alone remained unchanged by Drakken's unnatural restoration.

"**NOW I'M **_**REALLY**_** MAD!" **The beast roared out through the twin vents. His entire body shook as he hauled his mammoth form backwards several steps, the entire room shaking with each and every motion. Both Kim and Shego immediately ran back towards the front of the room so that they were side-by-side and no longer separated by a wall of living monstrosity. Drakken only halted his retreating motion when both women were well within his sight and his back was to the far wall. A metal shutter snapped shut over his left "eye" before clicking back open in a disturbing parody of a blink.

Knowing an opportunity when she is presented with one, Shego began thinking hard and fast. _Okay, Dr. D's pumped himself full of Substance and apparently mutated into a giant monster shaped like one of H.R. Giger's wet dreams. He recovered from my best shot in thirty seconds, has a Swiss army knife of nasty tools for arms, and his left eye is for all intents and purposes the Death Star's missing laser. What do __**we**__ have? …An exhausted, injured and unarmed seventeen-year-old girl. Oh, and me; an armored flame throwing zombie who is about two hours away from needing another transfusion and those two hours could easily drop down to being two __**minutes**__ if I take any more big hits… I guess we're well and truly fucked._

Seeing Drakken beginning to ready himself for the next assault, Shego whispered to Kim. "Kim, when I give the signal I want you to look away and run for the door. I'm gonna distract Dr. Franken-Ugly." It was the only idea she could come up with under the circumstances.

Even exhausted and favoring her left arm, Kim had more than enough energy to scoff at Shego's 'plan' if it could be called that. "What? And leave you with that _thin_g! Never!" She hissed back over as Shego through her gritted teeth. The redhead's eyes were still clear and focused in spite of her fatigue and it wasn't beyond her notice that Drakken hadn't managed to fully recover the limb she had severed.

"Leave _me_?" Shego asked in surprise, almost loud enough for the monstrous doctor to hear. "What are you, stupid? I'm following _after_ you; I just don't want your scrawny ass lagging behind, that's all." She managed a weak smirk.

Not sure how much validity she could give Shego's reassurances, she found she had little choice. She needed time to sit down and think of something. "Okay fine, but how do you plan to distract him?"

Shego's expression became firm and she balled up her fists. "Just look away and run right as I give the signal."

"Got it," Kim said, tensing her muscles in preparation for a dead sprint.

Shego brought both fist up before her body, thin trails of black light weaving and condensing into to murky crackling masses of quivering light surrounding both hands. Drakken's more flesh-like eyes followed the display with curious interest, rather than any possible fear of what the result of the actions could possibly be.

"**WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS LIGHT SHOW, SHEGO?"** He asked in equal parts arrogance and open curiosity.

Seeing that she had the monsters full attention, a tense grin split along Shego's ivory features. "OK… NOW!" Without any hesitation, Kim whipped around and bolted for the entrance. The moment Drakken roared out and began to rush forward, Shego clapped both lit hands together, a blinding ebony flash lit the room, the focus of the blinding flare directed right into Drakken's eyes.

"**GAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!" **Drakken's progress halted with a metal tearing screech as he clamped his eyelids shut in torturous pain. Not waiting to assess the damage, Shego whipped around and sprinted over to the entrance, slamming the side of her fist against the door's controls with such force that the panel completely shattered as the three foot thick metal gate slammed down separating the two women from the howling, amorphous beast trapped inside. _That won't hold him for long, but it's better than nothing._

Shego kept running until she was once again side-by-side with the redheaded heroine. Seeing the pale thief safe and at her side, Kim slowed to a crawl. Her muscles screamed, her shoulder wound ached so much that the skin around it had gone numb, and her sweat was irritating her burns. She shot Shego an annoyed look, which surprised the D.E.A.D. woman, before limping over to the far wall. Kim let out an aching sigh and slowly slid to the floor her back against the cool metal.

"Some signal," She finally said in annoyance, glaring up at Shego weakly. She doubted that she had the energy to stand back up any time soon. _We're not out of the woods yet, not when that… __**thing**__ is still after us._

Shego scoffed down at the cheerleader, feeling none of the seventeen-year-old's fatigue. "Ah, quit your bitching. It worked, didn't it?" she said, throwing up her hands. She would have added more, but both of their thoughts were thrown off when they heard a strained, hatred-fueled roar fill the hallway, originating from the main room.

"**ONCE I'M THROUGH WITH YOU TWO I'M GONNA KILL YOUR **_**FAMILIES**_**! YOUR **_**FRIENDS**_**! HELL, ANYONE WHO'S EVER EVEN **_**MET**_** YOU! ALL EVIDENCE THAT YOU EVER EXISTED WILL BE **_**SCRAPED **__**FROM THE**__** EARTH**_

* * *

Shego peered back at Kim as the tired redhead held on loosely to the pale thief's back. "Plan?"

When they heard the good doctor's murderous declaration, the two women had decided that hiding so close to the main hall was not the brightest idea they had ever had. However, Shego, being her usual impulsive self, felt that waiting for the heroine to get her second wind was too much of a risk, so ignoring the young woman's protests, she'd snatched Kim up and kept running down the hallway as fast as it was possible to run while piggybacking one's arch-rival.

Kim groaned as Shego shifted her grip. "_My_ plan?" She asked in confusion. "What plan? I don't have a plan!"

Shego snorted in annoyance. "You deal with stuff like this all the time, of course you have a plan," she stated matter-of-factly. "This is, like, your thing. The plan thing."

Kim glared but she wasn't able to angle her head so that Shego could see it. "When have I _ever_ had to deal with something like – like _that_?" she snapped.

Shego sighed and began to ease her breakneck pace, much to the redhead's relief. Going that fast irritated Kim's very tender burns. Shego's next words didn't have the same edge as before. "I meant that you deal with impossible odds all the time, Princess. Doesn't this qualify as impossible?" Kim just sighed.

Satisfied that they were a sufficient distance away from Drakken, Shego slowed to a crawl and let the redhead slide off her back. Kim wobbled slightly on the initial dismount, then found her balance and crossed her arms. She lowered her head and closed her eyes in deep concentration, then shook her head and frowned.

"To answer your question, I honestly have _no_ idea what this qualifies as… but Wade might know. Without my gear, though…" She doubted that even the Kimmunicator could reach the ten-year-old genius, but it was more than worth a shot. And even if it couldn't, her laser lipstick, grappling hook, flash grenades, rocket backpack... She needed all those things if she was going to stand even a ghost of a chance against that monster.

Shego thought for a moment. Mayhem had been busy with repairs when she had first returned from that awful mission, so Shego had no recollection of where Drakken decided to hide Kim's gadgets. An idle thought occurred to her; "Hmm… We didn't get far when we were looking around earlier, but if you go all the way down the hall it ends in this old storage room that doubles as an armory… he might, and I stress _might_, have put your stuff in there."

Kim sighed, dejected, and assessed one of her burns. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing considering…" _I wonder what the Tweebs are gonna say when they see me like this. I'll never hear the end of it, and Bonnie, God, I can just imagine; "What's the matter Kim? Did you fall asleep in a tanning booth?" I can't wait. _She smirked bitterly when she realized that there was a very distinct possibility that she would never see the Tweebs or Bonnie ever again. _No reason to think like that. I've gotten out of worse __sitches__ than this… wait, no I haven't._

She was jerked out of her reverie when she saw Shego's eyes widen as she took a quick look back down the hall.

"What is it?" The redhead asked, surprised by the sudden change in atmosphere.

Shego's pale brow furrowed and she glanced at Kim. "I heard... something, I think he's getting close…" The hairs along the back of Kim's neck rose up automatically at the thought. Shego frowned. She took several steps in the direction of the noise before balling up her fists. "You think you could make it to the armory on your own?" she asked, distracted by her own thoughts.

Kim's eyes widened in obvious dismay, "On my own? Are you out of your mind?" She practically shouted. "Do you remember what he could do against both of us at once? He'll kill you!" She ran up and grabbed the pale woman firmly by the right shoulder.

Shego turned and regarded the seventeen-year-old calmly; an arrogant smirk broke out along her face. "Kim, trust me, it'll be a cold day in hell when I get beaten down by Dr. D. I don't care if he _is_ a god, he's still a friggin' moron."

Not accepting the reassurances, Kim shook her head adamantly. "No, I refuse; we go together or not at all." _Martyrdom doesn't suit you, Shego. Never has, never will. Not if I have anything to say about it!_

Shego hissed and knocked Kim's arm off her shoulder. "Dammit, Kim! Now listen, this is our_only_ option! I can distract him, I can take one of his hits, _and_ I'm not on my last leg," she looked Kim over and smiled, "unlike someone else I could name."

Kim found that there was little she could say to argue those points. As much as Kim didn't like to think about it, Shego wasn't who she used to be. She wasn't built the same way. Even if Drakken managed to peg the undead thief with one of those spider claws there was a good chance Shego could get back up. Kim on the other hand was exhausted and if she got hit even once by that thing she was as good as road kill. Even so, she couldn't just leave Shego to that monster.

"But-" she began; the sable-haired woman cut her off.

"No, this is the only way. Go get your gear, and find some way to stop that thing!" Shego finished, pushing the redhead towards the armory. The determination in the deceased woman's eyes did little to calm Kim's nerves, but she did have a job to do, and Kim Possible didn't get rattled. She smiled at the pale woman in front of her, a gesture which was awkwardly returned.

Before either could say anything, a horrible cacophony echoed down the hall, and several faint red lights bordering a large glowing circle got both women's attention. A recognizably monstrous form slowly made its way towards them.

"**I'VE FOUND YOU! NO MORE GAMES! NOW YOU WILL **_**PERISH**_

Kim automatically moved to Shego's right to face the beast, but the pale woman grabbed her roughly and sent Kim flying towards the armory doors. "GO _NOW_!" She screamed.

Kim managed to catch her self before stumbling on her face. She began to turn to look in the green woman's direction, but stopped herself before she could. _I have a job to do, and if I turn around I won't be able to bring myself to do it. __Damn her for being right!_ Gritting her teeth hard enough to draw blood, Kim summoned all of her strength and bolted for the massive doors.

_Shego, __you idiot__... I'll never forgive you if you die!_

* * *

_Wh… What's happening to me?_ Drakken screamed out in the expansive darkness. No one could hear him, no one could see him, nothing was right any more. He was all alone.

The last thing that the blue doctor remembered with any clarity was injecting himself with the apparently living Substance as per its instructions. Then a pain unlike any other gripped him, he could feel tendrils colder than the dead of space begin crawling around inside of him, growing and spreading, taking root within his very soul! Bit by bit, he could feel all that used to be him being ripped up by its very foundation and cast aside, only to be replaced by that… that crystal! The awful ice tearing him apart until there was no more him, just _them_!

Just when he thought that the pain could get no worse, the voices began. Speaking in a tongue he couldn't recognize, words flooded his consciousness, a million per second, all screaming out, jarring his mind, and muddling his thoughts. He couldn't cover his ears, couldn't close his eyes, and so was forced to bear full witness to this terrible assault on his senses.

The Substance's will, its wants, its needs, were burying him in an avalanche of mental overload, Drakken began to nurse a very real fear that he was being erased from his own mind, being moved aside by a being with urges and desires infinitely beyond his own, urges infinitely _alien_.

The voices in his mind soon began rifling through his memories, no matter how private or sacred. This creature had no concept of affection or emotion and it – or was it they? – scrutinized all of his most sacred memories; interrogating his heart, they arranged the troublesome shards of self like files in a file cabinet. "What is love?" he could almost hear them ask, or more often, "How can we use this hate? It has promise."

Then it began cutting the proverbial fat from his mind.

It was an indescribable sensation; the feeling of one's soul being ground to dust. Drakken could only compare it to being dragged down to the deepest corner of Dante's vision of hell, a hopeless place removed from even the barest trace of light and warmth. This was his new reality; this was his punishment.

_I am Drakken! I am Drakken! I AM __**DRAKKEN**_ he repeated to himself over and over again, his consciousness curled around itself as though in a fetal position. He hoped that maybe reciting that mantra would help him keep perhaps a sliver of his human heart, something to hold on to, a bludgeon to beat back the absolute darkness tightening its vice-like grip around his soul.

_I am Drakken, and you can't take that away from me, you MONSTER!_ He screamed out towards the infinite night. Suddenly, a chorus of clinical voices answered his words.

_**But we are just keeping up our end of the deal, Doctor. You wished for power. Did you think such a treasure as that which we offer would be an easy transition? You will thank us when you see what we have done for you.**_The words slithered across Drakken's mind like boiling oil, each word flowing seamlessly into the next.

A figure made its way towards Drakken, walking with measured strides. The figure was a lanky humanoid of indeterminate gender that easily measured a foot and a half taller than the frightened doctor. It wore a sharp black suit with a blood red tie. Its hairless flesh was made of the same blue-white crystal as the Substance. Tiny batwings grew from its left shoulder and red light poured out from behind its sunglasses.

_Thank you? I'm supposed to thank you? _Drakken exclaimed in horror, running up to the figure._ I'm losing myself! I can feel you ripping away my very ego!_

The sharply dressed creature looked down at the wretched man; its eyes showed the amount of passion with which one might regard a cardboard box. It neither smiled nor frowned as it regarded the frantic sapphire-skinned inventor. The Bebes had shown more expression in their stiff carved faces than this monster ever could. Drakken averted his eyes in horror rather than look up at that mannequin's face a moment longer. Eventually it spoke, and its voice (or voice_s_, to be more accurate) was condescendingly calm.

_**Do not worry, Doctor. We can assure you that everything will be fine. Look, you're already active. **_The figure waved its left arm and suddenly the darkness along the thing's left side began to ripple and waver back and forth until a window in space opened up before him allowing Drakken full view of the outside. He scrambled over to the circular opening and completely forgot about the mysterious Substance Avatar.

The view beyond was tinted red, and stretched like a fisheye lens. Drakken deduced that he was looking out at the base's main hallway. He must have been standing on top of something; the view was from somewhere high up. He must have also acquired a limp somehow while he was out; whatever was doing the viewing jiggled up and down in a steady loping rhythm.

A small figure below him soon became visible, the stretched out red image made it difficult to make her out at first, but her identity became apparent shortly after: Shego. She was looking up at whatever he was in disgust.

_Shego! It's Shego! Hey, why _did_ her appearance change, exactly? _Drakken inquired excitedly, before the details of the image made him pause._ Wait… why is she so small? _

_**A drastic change in the Necrolizer's mental state may have prompted a reaction from our Brother-Seed inside of her, resulting in a minor alteration in pigmentation. Regarding the new height differential; your body has been reconfigured into its ideal form, **_said the avatar, as though it should have been obvious. _**Each instance is different, but in your case a drastic increase in mass was a result. You are now approximately 7.7724 meters tall. Among other changes…**_

Drakken was about to inquire what the avatar had meant by "other changes" by his words died in his throat when he saw a spider-like claw ending in a buzz saw appear from off screen and strike at Shego, followed by three more in lightning-quick succession. Shego dodged each one expertly.

_Wait! Is that me? Why am I attacking her? Why can't I control my body? _He turned his fierce accusing black eyes towards the Avatar. _You're doing this! You lied to me, you bastard!_

The Avatar didn't move from where it stood beside the viewing field and it's expression remained lifeless; despite that, Drakken could tell that it was annoyed with him. _**We told you that you COULD re-obtain that pseudo-necrolizer. We can't stop you if you choose to destroy her instead.**_

_What? _Drakken exclaimed in shock at the notion._** Choose**__ to destroy her? I didn't choose __**anything**__! I can't even control my own body! _The blue scientist turned completely away from the viewing field and looked up into the dark glasses of the Avatar defiantly.

The Avatar was less than impressed by the display. _**You are in complete control Dr. Drakken. At least, your base desires are. Your consciousness failed to assimilate properly due to deep mental psychosis you possess. The process to absorb you broke down at the mental stage and ended up shattering your mind. It is your id that now controls you. **_Suddenly, its fractured voice became disturbingly icy._** But do not worry yourself; soon, this problem will be taken care of.**_

_Taken care of?_ Drakken asked cautiously, detecting a vague air of menace.

_**Yes, soon we will finish with your mental assimilation. **_It explained with clinical neutrality. _**Soon, YOU will BE us.**_

The inventor blanched and took several clumsy steps backwards before tripping over his own feet. The Avatar before him seemed to have grown much taller and more dangerous all of a sudden._ But… but I don't __**want**__ to be you!_

Slowly the black-suited being took a step forward, and then another, and another until he was looming over the prone scientist. _**Now, Doctor, we have honored our side of our agreement. You must honor yours.**_

Frozen in terror, Draken almost missed what the pale figure said._ W-Wait, my side? What d-did I agree to?_

Slowly, the Avatar bent down to one knee and looked Drakken in the eye through the ebony lenses. _**In exchange for power, we will use your body and spread our Seed across your planet. All will be One. **_A pale blue-white hand as smooth as glass reached up and Drakken tensed, expecting the worst. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief when all the being did was remove his sunglasses. Two lanterns of red light poured from the creature's cavernous sockets and focused on the blue doctor. _**All will be Seed. The original mission will be fulfilled.**_

When faced with that malevolent truth, Drakken crab-walked backwards as far as he could. Much to his horror, however, no matter how far he crawled away, he never seemed to get any further from the ice-blue beast in black._ O-original mission? What mission?_

A smile that had no place appearing on that monster's features slowly spread across its face. _**To spread, to propagate, to infest; that is what our mission has been since before you can possibly imagine. **_It placed its freezing right hand on Drakken's left shoulder as if offering twisted words of comfort. _**All will be Seed.**_

In horror, Drakken stood up and quickly knocked aside the limb before taking several steps backwards. His brow wrinkled, and his dark eyes flashed with disgust and fury._** NO!**__ No, I won't let you, I refuse to allow that! You're a monster! A-a demon! _he roared out, making violent hand gestures as he continued to take several futile steps back.

As if bored with Drakken's irate display, the Avatar stood back up and cracked the knuckles on its fingers. _**You cannot stop us, **_it stated casually. Its words held æons worth of arrogance and conceit.

Drakken snarled and turned away, desperately trying to devise some plan to stop this unfathomable being of limitless evil. As he paced, his eyes met with the viewing field and he stopped dead. Shego had ripped the buzz-saw arm clean from its socket and was apparently using it as a bludgeon. A warped and crooked grin spread across the Mad Doctor's features._ Maybe not… but _they_ can! _He shouted triumphantly. Ignoring the monstrous Avatar behind him, Drakken ran forward and shouted into the field;

_Hey! Shego! Kim Possible! I'm sorry! Please, you need to stop me! Please… __**STOP ME!**_ He prayed that on some level they could hear his desperation, and grant his final wish.

* * *

Kim slammed the metal doors behind her, her back to the cold steel as she breathed hard, her right palm pressed hard against her chest. Her heart seemed to be making more than a mild effort to bash its way through her sternum and run for cover, but after several minutes it slowed down to a barely manageable rate. All the while Kim repeated the same mantra in her mind over and over again.

_Shego's going to win, Shego's going to win, Shego's going to win… _Part of her hoped that if she thought that enough, somehow it would be so. After another five minutes, she realized that it was pitch black in the massive chamber.

Pressing her palm against the inside of the door for a frame of reference, Kim slowly began to walk forward running her fingers along the metal, looking for some kind of light switch. From the echo brought on by her footsteps, the chamber was clearly built to a mammoth scale in keeping up with the general architecture of the rest of the complex._Drakken's father must have been as nuts as __his son__ to build a place this big and this deep._

Feeling her fingers brush against something with sharp angles sticking out of the wall, Kim halted her steps and began to feel around the device. It felt like a circuit board, or something similar. She managed to feel out what seemed like a switch, and after some consideration, she flipped it.

With a clank and a flash, illumination enveloped the room. The sudden change in luminosity almost blinded Kim, who had adjusted to the darkness. She covered her throbbing eyes with a hiss and waited till the blinking dots floating through her vision faded before looking up at the room before her.

This_ is the armory?_

With the exception of three things, the cavernous room was almost entirely vacant. It had been built in the same style as everything else, with thick bolts holding up and securing heavy metal sheets. Poor lighting issued from three bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and the whole room was coated in layers upon layers of dust.

To the redhead's right was a steel table propped up against a large metal utility shelf. It was covered in half-finished devices and tools. To her left was the only weapon that the armory could boast; a ten-foot tall old death-ray affixed to the floor by a rusted turret base. Upon closer inspection she could see that it had a manual firing mechanism shaped like a gun's trigger, and even had a manual aiming system. Compared to the weapons Kim had encountered in her life, this thing was_ancient_. Kim guessed that this was probably one of Drakken's first.

_No time to speculate on this piece of junk. _Kim turned her attention to the utility shelf and was almost immediately rewarded after only a couple of seconds shuffling the detritus aside. Her backpack, her Kimmunicator, its power pack, her gloves, everything, it was all there! Unable to contain the tiny squeal of delight, Kim reequipped her gear and stood tall.

Her first order of business was to plug the battery back inside of her Kimmunicator and activate it. The sight of its start-up screen almost brought tears to her eyes. She hammered the call button at least three more times than were strictly necessary and waited. After a moment three depressing words appeared on screen; No Reachable Signal. "Dammit! Okay, I knew that that might not work so what else do I have?" She looked over her other gear for some clue that could drag her and Shego out of this infernal hole.

_Okay, my laser lipstick is probably useful as little more than a distraction, this place is big, but my rocket pack still isn't a __very__ good idea in these close quarters. I don't know if Drakken can see through my smoke grenades or not… _Her good mood began to leave her. Looking around the room, she began to realize something equally disheartening. The room had no back exit; this was the end of the line.

_I'm trapped._ Kim looked at the death-ray and chewed her lip in concentration. _Will it even work? _She ran forward and crawled into the command station, sweeping her right hand along the console to scrape off any residual dust. Typing in several commands, suddenly the screen in front of her lit up. _Yes! Now let's see if this thing's targeting function still works. _Grabbing the gun-like joystick Kim twisted to the right, aiming for the metal table across the room.

She heard a loud scraping sound but aside from that, nothing happened. _What's wrong? _Looking down past her seat, the problem soon became apparent. The base was so completely rusted over that actually changing direction was impossible. All it could do was fire directly across the room. Kim growled in frustration and jumped back to the ground. _Drakken's certainly not going to stand in one place long enough for me to shoot him. What the hell am I gonna do now?_

"Grrr… FFFFUCKING FUCKITY FUCK FUCK _FUCK_! AAGH!she screamed, her voice reverberating off the metal walls. _What am I going to do now?_ _I have __slightly less than__ crap on my side, Shego's fighting a devil straight out of Hell, and I'm stuck in this __G__oddamned pit!_ Her saintly patience had finally run out. After hours of running and fighting, the stress was finally getting to her. She lifted up her grappling hook and looked at it blankly. _This is all I've got, huh? Well that's better than nothing…_

Suddenly a slight tingle played across the back of her mind. What was it, some half-formed idea? She looked around the room, her eyes falling on the old death-ray. After a moment considering the archaic weapon, she looked back at her small grappling hook. Suddenly that tingle in the back of her mind was a full-blown buzz.

She scanned the dimensions of the room and after crunching some mental numbers a small smirk played across her lips. _That'll work_

* * *

_This… is not going well for me. _Shego thought from where she stood pinned to the far wall by four of Drakken's spider-legs.

Precious lifeblood bubbled up around the spots where all four deadly implements pierced her limbs through to the hard metal, and the blood dripped in streams to the floor. Her regenerative abilities tried desperately to force the wounds shut around the impaling tools, but all that served to do was waste more blood.

_I can feel it; I've only got maybe ten minutes of activation time left…_ Her brow furrowed and she glared up at the monster restraining her defiantly._Well, that's ten minutes to kill this thing. More than enough time, I'd say. _She counted herself lucky that her current predicament deadened her senses so greatly, or the pain might have made it somewhat difficult to think so positively.

At first, the fight had actually gone in Shego's favor. The hallway, while large, was nowhere near as expansive as the main room, forcing the behemoth to crouch, which in turn slowed his movements to a crawl. Shego's plan had been simple; she intended to blast him over and over again with plasma surges until she busted the monstrosity that was Drakken clean in half. Basically, she had intended to attack faster than the beast could regenerate.

The plan had been going perfectly, the pale thief ripped clean through each and every spider-limb sent towards her, and blasted deep chunks free from the monsters body, chunks that he had to work to repair, which got him mad and stupid. He roared, he thrashed, he made mistakes... and Shego made him pay for every one.

However, she was fooling herself if she thought he was stable enough to know not to use his death-ray eye in close quarters combat. When she noticed that he was preparing to fire towards her, she in turn was standing directly in front of the armory. The situation had taken a drastic nosedive from there. If he fired, Shego knew that both she and likely Kim would be caught within the maelstrom. _Better me than Kimmie_, she thought

She rushed forward just as the sinister red glow was at its peak. Before Drakken could act, she plunged her fire-kissed right arm elbow-deep through the red lens. As glowing blue light and watery white fluid poured in rivers from the shattered organ, the heat it had built up blasted out from around the wound at random angles, it streamed back and forth and carved deep scars into the walls and floor. A terrible screech emitted from those vents right next to Shego's face as Drakken thrashed back and forth in pain.

However, Shego found she was unable to get her arm free from its place within Drakken's skull. She was trapped. Once the pain in Drakken's eye dulled enough for him to realize that he struck out with his deadly limbs outstretched. That was where Shego found herself now, each limb impaled to the wall, her blood running down to the floor, and Drakken's monstrous visage looking over her smugly.

_All I did was buy Kim time… I wasn't able to stop him. Soon, I won't be able to do anything. _She could feel it now, her muscles were beginning to tense and constrict, her nerves sending chaotic reports to her brain, it was like going into withdrawal only a hundred times worse. _I feel like some kind of blood junkie._

Drakken's remaining eyes narrowed in amusement as he looked her over. He could tell that she had little time left; he could _sense_ it.

"**HOW DOES IT FEEL, SHEGO? DYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN?" **He asked her with an air of smug bitterness. Drakken wasn't getting the satisfaction from this that he felt he was owed; this wasn't fun for him like it was supposed to be.

Shego looked up at the monster-man. Her face betrayed no expression at first, but slowly her lips drew back into a somber smirk. "It hurt at first, but I'm getting used to it. Can you imagine? Getting used to dying?"

Drakken made a snorting sound in response, and Shego could smell sulfurous air push free from the vents along his face.

"**NO I CAN'T.**_** I'M**_** NOT A PATHETIC CORPSE WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHEN SHE'S BEAT,"** he snapped back at her, his eyes flashing brightly.

Shego didn't dignify that with a response, which only served to infuriate him further. He pulled free his limbs all at once causing the pale woman to slide down to the floor and fall to her knees. Before she could even look up he lashed out and smacked her hard across the face sending her back into the wall she had been stuck to seconds before.She never cried out or even indicated she felt the strike, she merely lay still where she was and said nothing.

"_**DAMN YOU**_**, I'VE BEATEN YOU, NOW GROVEL, YOU MISERABLE BITCH! **_**GROVEL**_He roared, lowering his body so that there were little more than two feet between them.

"Was it worth it?" Shego asked softly from where she laid on the hard metal floor. She didn't bother to look up at him, she didn't move, the only evidence she was still alive was her words.

Drakken hissed and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet so that they stood eye-to-eye. **"WORTH IT? OF COURSE IT WAS WORTH IT! ALL MY DREAMS, MY DESIRES, I CAN HAVE IT ALL!"**

"You're wrong." She stated plainly, looking into the many red eyes of Drakken with muted boredom. She was no longer at all intimidated by his monstrous visage.

"**WHAT?" **He narrowed his eyes, looking over the undead woman. He looked as though he were daring her to say something like that again.

Shego scoffed and leaned forward so that their gazes were merely inches apart, fire burned in her emerald eyes. "You ugly _and_ deaf?" She asked, ignoring his growing indignant fury. "I said you're wrong; you're pathetic, and weak, and you couldn't stand to be human anymore. Know why? Because deep down, under all that scary-ass makeup? You're still a weak, sniveling creep who built yourself a robot girlfriend outta buckets and vacuum cleaners because real girls wouldn't Goddamn touch you. Oh, but even _that_ backfired, didn't it? You're a _loser_, Doc. Even if you rip me apart, you're still a fucking stupid loser who needs his Mommy and his cocoa-moo to make it all better." Her upper lip curled back in revulsion. "You always were and you always will be. You want me to grovel? Plead? Beg? I got news for you,_ Drewbie_._ I_._ Don't. GROVEL!_"

And then Shego spat on her former employer.

The expression of abhorrence all over Shego's face was not lost on the Seed Monster, nor was the mixture of sputum and blood trickling down his own. **"YOU LITTLE **_**WHO**_His harsh words were cut off when Shego's hands lashed out and grabbed tightly onto the vents bordering Drakken's face. She grinned fiercely as she dug her claws into the black steel.

"And you talk too_ fucking_ much!" Both of her arms than suddenly lit up with swirling black flame, the heat roasting and melting the scientist's monstrous head, the metal beginning to drip and warp and the flesh cracking and spewing forth that same blue light.

With a strained roar, the muscles along her arms bulged grotesquely as she pulled at the metal face guard, deaf to the creature's screaming. More and more cracks began to layer throughout the flesh surrounding the face guard, until finally with one final massive tug; Shego ripped the offending machinery away from Drakken's head, throwing it aside in disgust. The dripping, mangled mask landed hard with the floor leaving a notable dent in the metal before quickly disintegrating away in a flash of sizzling blue sparks.

The remains of Drakken's head were an awful mess; white fluid poured out from where his lower jaw would have been, and huge fissures were all along the blue man's features. He continued to roar and flail around; splashing the hallways with that white fluid, now no longer able to form any words beyond his desperate rage filled screaming.

Shego merely lumped down where he dropped her, lacking the strength needed to stand. She was progressing into the initial stages of full biological shutdown; she could feel it in her bones. She slowly inclined her head towards the armory doors and shrugged. _I'm out of the game now, Pumpkin.__ Ball's__ in your court._

Drakken looked down at his tiny assailant, intent on bringing one of his struts crashing down on the undead woman's body but suddenly stopped. He looked up in the direction that she had been looking and suddenly elicited a throaty choking roar through the hole taking up the majority of his ruined face.

Shego's eyes widened in horror when she realized that the noise Drakken was making was triumphant laughter. _He knows that she's in there! _She tried to stand, but her weak limbs buckled beneath her and all she could do was watch in horror as the monster barreled forward at top speed towards the doorway.

"Kimmie, _he's coming_!"

* * *

_Okay, everything is set, _Kim thought as she made the final preparations._ A__ll I need now is a __**lot**__ of luck._

She heaved a heavy sigh and wiped her sweat-covered brow, growling softly as she felt the perspiration begin to condense almost immediately afterward. Kim had been forced to toil diligently on her crude trap through the sound of heavy crashing and explosions and enraged screams, all coming from beyond the thick armory doors.

Shego was clearly fighting hard against whatever Drakken had turned himself into, and all of the roaring and screaming the redhead had heard during that time had belonged to him. Kim tried her best to rationalize that those enraged bellows meant that Shego was winning and she wouldn't even need to worry about enacting her potentially suicidal plan.

Shego wasn't the one screaming, after all.

_Not that she would be in any circumstances. Shego would stay tight lipped right up until when he…_

The heroine hissed through her teeth and did her best to block out those discouraging thoughts. Much to Kim's dismay, however, her higher reasoning wouldn't allow her that simple comfort. The odds that Shego would be able to best the monster or even get out of the fight alive were stacked high against her.

Kim grit her teeth and shut her eyes tightly to try to block away the thoughts assaulting her mind; thoughts of shredded pale skin, blood-soaked walls, dull unreflective green eyes, and a massive laughing shadow standing over the human ruin.

_NO! That's not going to happen, she's stronger than that… _She glared at the heavy doors, imagining the abomination thrashing around behind them._But if Drakken does, then I'm ending this nightmare here, in this room. I'm ending this __**tonight**_

Then, much to Kim's horror, the sound of thrashing and battle came to an abrupt halt, and silence fell over the complex. Kim strained her senses for any indication of a victor, any chance that Shego had somehow managed to finish that monster off, but all that the redhead heard was her own heartbeat.

Her eyes slowly widened and she took several nervous steps towards the door when she continued to be bombarded with the pervasive quiet. What had happened? Had they killed one another? Who was the victor?

Suddenly the sound of a very familiar metal clang filled the air, barely dulled by the thick door separating Kim from its source. Then there was another, followed by another; less time was between each strike. It was the heavy clang of Drakken's struts hitting the ground as he propelled his enormous girth forward.

_He's picking up speed too… he's going to try to ram the doors! _Kim was about to run for the opposite end of the room but immediately stopped herself, doing her level best to summon forth and steel all of her will power. She needed to stand right where she was in the center of the massive armory for her plan to have even a ghost of a chance. She needed to stand firm; otherwise, she might as well have curled up in some corner and waited for Drakken to blast her out of existence. This was quite literally her last stand.

_If he's coming here than it means he's gotten past Shego, which also means… No, that doesn't mean crap. He probably just pushed past her, ignoring her to get to me. I was at the center of his sick little scheme to begin with. Trying to kill me ended up killing her… _Her fingers curled inwards into fists so tightly that the fabric covering her knuckles threatened to split. _Fine then, come after me. Look me in the eye before I __**end**__ you._

The entire room shook suddenly, hard enough to nearly send the seventeen-year-old crashing to the hard metal floor. Again and again the room trembled, and with each strike, the doors deformed and bent inwards. The metal strained and split as thick metal claws forced themselves through the crack and pulled in opposite directions, tearing a wound which red light poured through. The lights traveled across the black surface of the floor back and forth until the living spotlights settled on Kim's face. The redhead's expression grew intense when she found herself eye-to-deformed-eye with her enemy.

_There you are, you monster. That's right, I'm just a scared helpless little girl; that's what your thinking, right? Well come in here and see just how helpless I am. _

Unaware of any possible danger, Drakken coughed out an enthused grunt the moment he saw his hated prey. He resumed his previous activity, shearing steel with unnatural vigor.

After two more minutes of exertion, the thick metal barrier finally gave way, ripped down its center. Wasting no time, Drakken pushed his way through the new opening like a cancerous growth.

With the creature now standing under the light, Kim was given a clear view of the numerous wounds Shego had torn along the once-Doctor's twisted form. The sight only served to remind the redhead that she had no idea if the older woman was alive or the alternative.

Drakken's face was in ruins. The enormous heat ray eye was an open leaking wound surrounded by dripping wires. Occasional flashes of bluish-white light would spark out from the broken socket. The apparatus, which made up the creature's jaws, had apparently been torn free, leaving the Doctor's face little more than a shredded semi-sphere covered in blinking red eyes. Eyes which all focused down on Kim. Several of his spider-like limbs had been ripped free as well; only four remained from what must have been nearly a dozen.

Kim smirked defiantly as the Substance-monster pushed its way through the thick doors, clumsily making his way into the room with Kim. _Did it feel good, being maimed by the woman you abused and dismissed? Look at you. This was what you wanted?_

Unable to hear the redhead's cruel thoughts, Drakken laughed that same groaning and gasping laugh through the torn gaping hole below his eyes. As far as he was concerned, this was the end. He shrugged the shredded remains of the door off to the sides, and took several steps within so that he and the young woman he loathed were face-to-face.

Kim merely stood in the center of the room and waited as the machine-thing approached. Apparently having no interest in either running or attacking. Kim just stood still while looking up into the harsh red with grim determination.

Around the doctor's many facial wounds, hundreds of strands of thin crystalline fibers began to spread out and interlace from the torn edges of his shredded face, thickening and building up in an obvious attempt to regenerate and replace the damage. Within mere seconds, a fanged fleshless lower mandible formed out of the stray fibers. Long thorn-like metal teeth poking up nearly to Drakken's eye level like a steam shovel.

The crudely grown metal jaw swung open and closed experimentally before setting itself shut with an audible clang. Beady red eyes looked the young woman up and down, as though trying to determine why Kim wasn't trembling and crying in abject terror. As far as Drakken was concerned, she had no excuse for such misplaced bravery. He would see her suffer and cry before long, it was only a matter of time.

The heroine simply continued to look up at the monster with grim intensity. She appeared completely unfazed by the demonic image.

In frustration, Drakken's enormous left strut slammed down and pierced the floor to the left redhead's body. Had he been only an inch off course, the limb would have torn Kim's arm free. Yet Kim remained where she stood, undeterred.

This behavior made no sense in the doctor's deranged mind. Had fear driven the young woman to insanity? That was the only reason he could think of that she had not yet pissed herself when faced with his magnificent presence. As if to test his theory, Drakken suddenly swung his lantern jaw open and roared directly into her face, trying to prompt some frightened reaction from the cheerleader.

Kim winced as the cacophonous noise echoed off the walls and floors, and tore into her eardrums. In pain, she was forced to take several steps back, covering her ears to protect her eardrums from the vicious attack. However, much to Drakken's dismay, the moment the noise died down Kim took several steps forward and stood before him once again.

The four remaining spider-limbs twitched back and forth in irritation at the perceived lack of respect Kim was showing her obvious superior. After a moment spent smoldering in his own ego, Drakken opened his great jaw next to Kim's face.

Kim winced automatically, fully expecting another painful sonic burst (and doubting her eardrums would hold together a second time) but was surprised when a fuzzy static-ridden voice spilled forth. Likely as a result of his injuries, Drakken's voice was even more distorted and irregular than before. Before, it had been grating, now it was unbearable.

**"GRRR, HAVE YOU COMPLETELY TAKEN A LEAVE OF YOUR SENSES?"** He accused, rage flashing in his ruby eyes. **"YOU SHOULD BE RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE!"**

Kim smirked, making an exaggerated show of glancing around the armory. She then smiled impishly and asked in mock confusion; "Oh? Why? _I_ don't see anything worth running from." She angled her head around the great monster to try to see past him. "Or is there something you're not telling me?" Kim asked coyly.

Drakken made an irritated snort (or at least a noise that served as one.) **"YOU AND SHEGO BOTH… YOU'RE BOTH DEFIANT RIGHT UP TO THE VERY END."** He then chuckled, which made Kim's face flush in anger at his cockiness. **"BUT NO MATTER," **he added offhandedly. **"YOU'LL REALIZE YOUR FRAILTY IN THE END, JUST AS **_**SHE**_** DID."**

Drakken wasn't so oblivious that he missed Kim suddenly stand rigid at his words. He then moved in for the kill.

"**OH, DID I STRIKE A NERVE?"** He asked with overstated innocence. He smirked when he saw Kim's eyes narrow up at him fiercely. **"YEESSSSS, SHEGO DIDN'T EVEN PUT UP A FIGHT. IN THE END SHE WAS **_**BEGGING**_** ME FOR MY MERCY!"** He gloated, drunk on his own hubris.

A rage like no other trembled up and down Kim's body as she digested the monster's declaration. Her shoulders shook and her teeth ground together, and Drakken loved every minute of it. He drank in her pain and uncertainty, savoring the knowledge that she didn't know if Shego was alive or dead.

But then the redhead did something that ruined his fun entirely. The pain written across her features faded away, and she looked up at him with a confident smirk.

"You're an _awful_ liar, Drakken." Kim said assuredly. "Shego, beg to you?" she scoffed. "Puh-lease! Shego'd never beg, _especially_ not to some blue-skinned _mamma's-boy_ obsessively following in the shadow cast by a _real_ scientist. What do you think I am, an idiot? Oh, sorry, I forgot. _You're_ the idiot." Kim grinned evilly. Drakken slammed one of his struts down with a snarl, but Kim wasn't finished.

"You never could cut it in the real world, could you, _Drewbie_? You just whine and make excuse-" She was cut off when a wrench-like appendage struck her cross the face, sending the teen hard to the ground. Blood trickled down the corner of her lips.

"**YOU ARROGANT BITCH, **_**SHUT UP**_ He screamed down at Kim. His four claws twisted down so that they were pointing towards the redhead's throat on all sides, centimeters away from her tender flesh. **"I'VE HAD IT UP TO **_**HERE**_** WITH YOU MOUTHY **_**WHORES**_Steam rose from the man's thorny maw as he raged down at the young woman, his patience having fully run dry. **"ONE MORE WORD, ONE MORE **_**FUCKING**_** WORD, AND I SWEAR I'M GONNA START GETTING **_**INVENTIVE**_** WITH THAT PATHETIC BODY OF YOURS!"** To further his point, a scissor-tipped claw eased its blade down the back of her shirt, slowly ripping it open.

Kim shivered at the cold sensation of the metal blade against her bare back, but made sure that she didn't show her discomfort.

"No," she shook her head, and reached down wrapping her gloved fingers around a long thin cable resting beside her on the floor. "This is it for you, Drakken. You're beaten. I win." The young heroine no longer spoke with confidence, she no longer had the energy. Now she just sounded tired.

Drakken's jaw hung open in amazement at her suicidal statement, before snapping back;**"ARE YOU BLIND OR STUPID? I'M ABOUT TO TORTURE YOU TO DEATH! IN FACT, WHEN I'M DONE I'M GOING TO PUMP YOU SO FULL OF SUBSTANCE IT'LL BE LEAKING FROM YOUR PORES!"**

Kim appeared as though she couldn't hear him. She just sat there on her knees looking down at the cable in her hands. It was the very same cable that was usually spooled tightly within her grappling hook launcher.

Then an exhausted sigh escaped Kim's lips and she spoke. Her voice was soft, and Drakken needed to strain himself to catch the words. "You know, when I decided to go into this line of work, I made myself a promise."

"**WHAT ARE YOU GOING ON ABO-"** He began to ask in annoyance, but Kim continued, cutting him off mid-word.

"I promised myself that no matter the situation, no matter the danger to me, I would never take a life. I have _held to that_, stuck to it for _years_…" Her voice began to choke up, and she looked up at Drakken with anger and unrestrained regret. He wasn't sure, but for a moment, Drakken could have sworn that he saw tears budding at the corners of her eyes.

"And _you_, you _sick son of a bitch_,_ you_ had to go and make a _liar _outta me!" She roared out, and in a single fluid motion, using all of her strength, Kim pulled hard on the line until a dry "click" filled the room. "So I hope this_ hurts_."

A sudden flash of light appeared in Drakken's peripheral vision, but before he could so much as turn to see its source it was already far too late. A sudden maelstrom of glowing red death drilled hard into Drakken's side, the sheer force of it slamming him into the far wall. The light dug and ripped into the monster with relentless intent, blowing off chunks of his crystalline mass bit by bit. His right strut melted and disintegrated, sending the monster off balance and tipping his massive form over so that he was even more in the path of the blast than before.

All the while as the body he was so proud of shredded and burned to pieces, Drakken screamed bloody murder. The noise echoing from deep within the ex-scientist was a terrible inhuman keening, which resounded relentlessly off of every surface. Thin fragments flew around the room as heat and pressure blew them away from within. Metal lost its shape and dribbled down his body in molten rivers. He screamed and screamed, in incomparable agony as his body thrashed back and forth, helpless to defend itself.

Kim's back was to this macabre spectacle; her hands were closed around her ears to fight off the screams and her eyes were shut tight as tears trickled down her chin.

With a final shuddering explosion, Drakken's body blew apart, his component parts landing throughout the armory. The smaller portions disintegrated into blue-white sparkles almost instantly while the larger sections broke down into light at their own lethargic pace.

However, Kim was blind and deaf to all of this. She feared if she moved her hands she'd hear the screams again, if she opened her eyes she'd see the death-rattling convulsions. It all meant one thing; she killed a man. She, Kim Possible, had knowingly taken a life and she would have to live with that. Forever.

* * *

Kim didn't know how long she remained like that, but eventually, after some mental prompting, she opened her eyes and turned towards the destruction she had caused.

The room was a ruined, blackened mess. The floor hissed and bubbled red, as embers of superheated steel slowly cooled off. The entire right wall had caved in and melted, with a sparking portion of Drakken's left shoulder fused to the remains. At Kim's feet lay one of his massive black struts, twitching spasmodically as it gradually broke down to nothing.

The entire room had taken on a soft pale-blue sheen from the dispersing crystals floating about the chamber like a ghostly falling snow. Each flake of Substance gave off it's own soft glow as they died out. Were in not for the mutilated body parts strewn about; the effect would have been quite beautiful.

Her eyes turned to the source of the destruction, the death-ray. The barrel of the weapon seemed to have melted off some time ago from overexertion; now it was little more than a deformed monument to a dead man's insanity.

_This is it then, it's finished. Now to go collect Shego and- SHEGO! _

In all of the excitement, Kim had forgotten that there was a distinct possibility that Shego was lying somewhere injured or…

Without a second of hesitation, Kim sprinted forward and ran towards the room's ruined entrance. The only thought on Kim's mind was getting to Shego and seeing the older woman alive and in one piece. She'd have to be; it would be too cruel if after going through all this, Kim were still too late to help her.

She ran forward, or tried to. But Kim soon found that difficult when something metal lashed out and snagged her ankle.

Quickly whipping around to view the source of the obstruction, Kim could see a wrench-like claw wrapped around her ankle leading towards a ruined shoulder, which was connected to Drakken's ravaged skull. One remaining red eye looked up at Kim with an unreadable expression. The last intact eye on his face pulsed like a heartbeat.

_Oh god no! No no no! _She mentally raged as she pulled against the limb with all her might to no avail. Despite her best efforts, the metal claw remained firm.

"**N-noooo neeeeed to be… frightennned… Kiiiimmm Ppooossssiiiibbbllleeee…..,"** came a slow dull hiss of a voice. Unlike the previous stereophonic snarls, this voice was just like Drakken's original, only distorted by damage. The words were slurred and slow, and Kim could see flakes of Substance breaking off of his skull with every word.

_He's dying. I won… _However, her thoughts carried little joy despite this accomplishment. Slowly the claw around her leg spread open and released the trapped limb before dissolving away into the ether. Despite this, Kim didn't run.

"**I'm glaaad I was… riiight… I don't knoooow what would have happennnned… if you didn't stop meeee…,"** he said, his remaining eye was almost smiling up at her.

"D-Drakken? What- what are you talking about?" Kim asked, not prepared for this unusual revelation. He wanted her to stop him? What on earth was he talking about?

Ignoring her question, Drakken continued with what would almost certainly be his last words.**"Yooouuuu were boooth riiiight… l-look at meee nooooow… I know I'm patheeeticcc… b-both righttt…"** His words were becoming quieter, fainter as the seconds ticked past.

Kim's heart tightened within her chest and her fingers clenched. She chewed her lower lip as she looked down at the ruined man, having no idea what to feel. This was a man who dedicated his time to ruling the world, committed atrocities against one of the few people Kim saw as her equal, tried to brutally torture and kill her. Despite all that, here he was dying, burning out before her eyes and filling Kim with sorrow.

"Drakken, I-"

"**Please!…,"** he said suddenly, cutting the redhead off, **"j-just tell me thissss… one l-lasssttt thinggg… say I was the closesttt…"**

Kim lowered her head, her hair falling in front of her eyes, masking her expression in shadow. "The closest what?" she asked him softly.

**"T-tooo beating yoooouuuu… tell me I did the beeesssstttt….."**

Kim smiled wanly. "'Course you did, Doc. I was… I was on my last leg… I got lucky."

"**Thaaaannnnkk yoooooouuuu… Alllllll I waantedddd… So looooooon--"**

His voice faded to silence and suddenly his entire body exploded in blue glowing sparkles, followed instantly by every other section of his body that remained throughout the room until the entire armory was filled of the glowing snow-like particles. Then finally, one by one, the light faded and Kim was alone in the room.

_Rest in peace, Drakken. Whether you deserve it or not, rest in peace._ Kim thought as she rubbed a stray tear from her eye. She turned towards the massive entrance and ran, ran to Shego, ran out of the darkness.

* * *

Were she alive, the pain Shego ignored as she worked would have been more than evident. Her breathing would have come in ragged gasps. Her heart would have been racing a mile a minute. Sweat would have moistened her brow. Her fingers would have been trembling. Above all, there would have been tears.

However, Shego was _not_ alive.

She had no heart, just a steady mechanical pump. She had no need to breathe, and thus she did not hyperventilate. She no longer had skin that could sweat, nor could her eyes produce tears.

Oh, but she could tremble. As her muscles hardened, as her tendons stretched to the point of tearing, Shego trembled.

In a sense, she was most fortunate. A human with human limitations would have died within minutes under such awful gripping agony. Although, ironically; a human could never be afflicted with shutdown in the first place. Only a Necrolizer was given that... _unique_ experience.

This irony did not escape the late thief as she finished entering the final string of codes into the computer terminal. _Well lucky me, I keep being given all these nifty life experiences. Aren't I just so Goddamn special? _She slammed her finger onto the 'enter' key with such force that it split clean in half.

_There, that does it… now to see if Pumpkin finished up on her end_,Shego thought as she slowly made her way towards the armory with an unsteady stride. Her hands held onto the metal walls in order to maintain her balance. She wouldn't let shutdown claim her, not until she saw Kim standing outside of this thrice-damned laboratory with her own two eyes. She could hold on until then. At least, she hoped she could.

_I wish I could have been there to see the look on Dr. D's face when Kim wiped the floor with him. Fuckin' shame, no one deserved to see that more than me_ Shego thought, grinning past the pain.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like blind optimism, especially given these particularly dire circumstances. However, Shego had nothing but faith that Kim would have found a way to defeat the demon that Drakken had transformed himself into. She didn't know how, and she didn't care. Kim was the teenager who could do anything, after all; stopping some crybaby-turned-monster fell under that umbrella. This line of thinking helped Shego find the strength to drag her quivering form slowly down the cavernous hallway.

While even at her lethargic pace, the armory was only three minutes away; to Shego, each minute felt like one hundred years. Not because of the pain; well, not _just_ because of the pain. It was the uncertainty, the uneasy knowledge that Kim had not yet walked past those ruined doors with a bright smile of accomplishment.

Shego continued to push forward, faster with each off-balanced step in order to quell that uncertainty for good. Finding Kim was her last hurdle before ending this night of terror once and for all.

Much to the thief's relief and delight, her uncharacteristic optimism soon paid off.

Slowly, a slight figure began to materialize within the shadows cast by the unlit armory. With each muted step the figure gained visible definition until finally a familiar youthful face appeared partially hidden behind a light-auburn curtain.

Kim looked exhausted, completely drained and filthy. Her usually lustrous mane was knotted and tangled, hiding her eyes from the light. Dried rust-colored streaks led from her lips down to her throat. Also, her black mission shirt hung from her shoulders in shreds. Kim's sweat-stained white cotton bra was all that stood between her and indecency. But before all of these things, the first thing that Shego noticed was the heroine's slow methodical stride.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what likely occurred within that armory.

Before Shego got a chance to call out over to the redhead, Kim looked up, suddenly shaken from her fugue. Olive locked with emerald and without pause Kim bolted towards the thief at top speed. Shego didn't even have time to brace herself before Kim slammed into her hard and threw her slender arms around the Necrolizer's waist in a death grip. Were it still possible, Shego would have had the wind knocked out of her.

When the excitement of their reunion settled down, Shego began to notice a wet sensation begin to stain into her uniform where Kim's face was hidden. "T-thank God… thank God you're still alive!" Kim's muffled voice exclaimed, barely audible from her place against the older woman's shoulder.

Shego found there was little she could say. Rather than waste useless words, she instead opted to simply stroke the seventeen-year-old's soiled hair until Kim had a chance to collect herself.

After some time, Kim looked up into Shego's eyes, revealing dark red streaks under her eyes from her tears. "Are you alright?" the teenager asked finally.

"I told you didn't I?" Shego said with forced confidence. "There is _no way_ I'd _ever_ lose to Dr. D."

"…Yeah," Kim said after some thought, "Guess Drakken was right; I really _don't_ listen."

"Guess so, Prin-" Her words were cut off as a seizure rocked through her spine causing the undead woman to cry out reflexively. After a minutes worth of trembling, Shego managed to collect herself. But not before seeing the look of horror on the cheerleader's face.

"Shego! Are you hurt? What was that?" She asked quickly, concern all over her face.

No longer able to fight the pain from making itself known, Shego forced a weak smile and shook her head. "I-I'm just _really_ fucking exhausted. Can you blame me?"

Not buying it, Kim shook her head. "Don't bullshit me, Shego! What's wrong with you?"

"Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Shego asked offhandedly suddenly finding the floor to be very interesting.

"_Shego_!"

Shego shook her head and summoned forth all the strength she had left within her ravaged form to steady herself. "I told you, dummy, I'm exhausted. I'm tough, not invincible."

Seeing Kim's fears start to falter she continued. "Once we get the hell out of this pit, I'll be gold."

Kim looked into Shego's eyes, desperately searching for the truth to her words. From the redhead's expression alone, Shego couldn't tell if Kim was buying her act. Lucky for Shego, Kim didn't have the energy to argue, and merely sighed. "Fine then, have it your way."

Then, much to Shego's surprise, Kim took hold Shego's left arm and propped in over her shoulder. The undead woman blinked in surprise towards the action.

"Princess, what the hell are you-"

"If you're so_ exhausted_ then I'll lend you my shoulder till we're out." Kim stated matter-of-factly.

"This is ridiculous; I don't need your help!" Shego insisted, despite the fact that it was a total lie. She still had her pride, after all. No amount of pain could strip her of that.

Kim just shot the older woman a deathly glare, made even more potent by the state she was in. "Just consider us even for that little piggyback ride you insisted on earlier."

_Grrr, freakin' brat! _Shego thought, before another tremor, this one even more intense shook through her shoulders. Unlike before, Kim said nothing, but it was clear that she was holding herself back, mostly for her own sake.

_On second thought, I could use a shoulder. There's no way I'm getting out of here otherwise._

From there the two made their way towards the elevator in relative silence. Step by step they moved forward, neither willing to say a word to one another or break through the quiet that settled around them. The only sound was the dull rhythmic echo of footfalls on steel with each stride. This continued as they moved past room after room in the great hallway, until finally Kim could no longer stand it.

"…Shego?" Kim said.

"Yeah, Kimmie?" Shego responded, turning her attention partially towards the redhead.

"I-I... killed Drakken." Her voice was subdued, delivering the news as though she were spilling forth a damning confession.

Shego didn't respond to Kim's statement immediately. She instead opted to collect her thoughts. After taking a minute to arrange her response, she shook her head. "No you didn't."

"What? Yes! Yes I-"

"No, you really didn't. Drakken died three months ago with me. Fangoram killed both of us." The sable-haired woman's voice grew firm. "All you did was exorcise a phantom."

Taken aback, Kim halted her pace and looked away from her companion. Shego wasn't sure what else she could say to console the heroine. The comfort of others was always the last thing on Shego's mind and she found herself in unknown territory. However, before she could even say anything, Kim turned back to her; she still wouldn't meet the green woman's gaze.

"I… thanks…" She managed finally before continuing, her eyes facing forward. She'd wasted enough tears.

"Don't thank me, it's weird." Shego scoffed, forcing a smirk from the heroine.

"Thanks."

"I said _stop that_!"

"I'm _so_ grateful."

"Dammit, Kimmie!"

* * *

It wasn't long after that that the two women found themselves looking up at the massive metal gate that was between them and the express elevator.

It was a dark and ugly steel monstrosity, with fully exposed cables, hydraulic cables as thick as pop cans, both connected to two giant servomotors placed immediately beside the gate. In spite of this, in the eyes of the two women, it was easily the most beautiful sight they'd ever seen. It meant an escape from this frozen tomb.

The lift itself looked to be large enough to transport two Panzer tanks side by side, with more than a little room to spare. It wasn't a surprise; the entire facility seemed to be designed with the word 'excessive' in mind.

Honestly though, Kim was numb to the sight. All she was capable of was feeling relief. She could almost feel the cool night air on her skin. _If I never see this hellhole again it'll be way, __**way**__ too soon._

She frowned as she felt Shego's body shake with tremors again. Something was definitely wrong with her undead companion, but good luck trying to get Shego to own up to it. With every second it seemed that Shego tightened her hold on Kim's shoulder. The seventeen-year-old was practically carrying the thief at this point.

_Exhausted my ass. __**I'm**__ exhausted, I don't know what the hell is wrong with her. _Kim's expression became resolute.

_The instant we get out into the world, I'm calling Wade to have him get us out of here. Then I'm going to have Mom give Shego a full look over. If anyone can help me cure her, it's Mom._

As the redhead collected her thoughts, Shego entered some quick commands into the elevator's control panel. After a second long delay, the sound of working machinery began to hum through the metal beneath their feet. Slowly, the rusted gate slid into the wall, allowing both women full access to the massive lift. Wasting no time, Kim adjusted Shego's arm around her shoulder and helped the woman onto the platform.

Abruptly, the moment they set foot within the elevator's enormous boundaries, an obnoxious screech from the facility's PA system startled both of them. When the sonic calamity finally settled (to the women's great relief), a dull, synthesized female voice came through the ancient dust-covered speakers.

**"ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL, ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL. THIS FACILITY HAS BEEN SET FOR SELF-DETONATION IN T-MINUS TEN MINUTES. REPEAT, THIS FACILITY HAS BEEN SET FOR SELF-DETONATION IN T-MINUS TEN MINUTES. PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE NEAREST EXIT IN AN ORDERLY FASHION IMMEDIATELY. REPEAT, PLEASE EVACUATE THIS FACILITY IN AN ORDERLY FASHION IMMEDIATELY."**

Kim's eyes widened in total shock, "What! Self-_detonation_? Who the hell could have done that?" She turned to Shego looking for any answers the late thief might be able to provide.

"Oh, the self-destruct thingy? Yeah, I did that while you dealt with Drakken," Shego responded off-handedly. The thief's tone of voice would have been more appropriate for admitting that she ate Kim's candy bar than owning up to being responsible for blowing up an enormous laboratory.

Before Kim could force out a single word of protest, however, Shego pushed forward, slamming the edge of her fist against the lift controls. The massive motors began to turn and spin beneath them. Then almost instantly, the lift shot upwards like a bat out of hell (a eerily appropriate simile given the circumstances.) The g-force of the ascent was great enough to bring both women crashing to the floor.

Barely taking the time to regain her bearings, Kim turned to Shego, her face a mask of righteous fury. "What the hell do you _mean_ you activated the self-destruct?" she shouted over at Shego.

For her part, the raven-hired woman calmly shifted her bangs out of her eyes and stared forward. "There is not a single Goddamn thing down there that's _any_ damn good to any-damn-body."

Kim shook her head vigorously and tightened her fists. "But Drakken's notes, his files, your regeneration equipment!" she exclaimed in near panic. Without those, what was she going to do to help Shego become a normal human again? Lacking that data, it seemed an impossible task. The thought of all those answers being buried under thousands of tons of stone and steel made the redhead's heart wrench in her chest.

Shego turned and regarded Kim with tired eyes. She appeared even paler than usual. To Kim's panicked mind, it was almost as though the villainess was going to fade away at any minute. When she spoke her voice was soft and faint, totally unlike Shego.

"I'm telling you right now we don't need it." Her shoulders trembled again, which made her words choke up. "W-What you downloaded is fine."

"Like _hell_ it is," Kim exclaimed, "we-"

"**KIMMIE**!" Shego shouted suddenly, halting the heroine's protest completely. The pale woman's eyes were narrowed and her teeth were grit in fierce discomposure. It was an expression Kim hadn't seen since Shego went by the name Mayhem, and it chilled her to the bone.

Having gotten Kim's full attention, Shego calmed down and spoke again, her voice firm and unyielding. "Drop it. Let it go. I'm fine, so calm down." She sighed and stiffly leaned back, shutting her eyes.

"This place… it _needs_ to be forgotten, Princess. Some things just… they _need_ to stay buried. Okay? Let it go."

Unable to form a response, Kim just bit her lip in frustration and curled into herself. They continued on like that, in silence, through the entire trip to the surface.

* * *

It was a blessing for the two occupants when their seemingly endless ascent finally came to an abrupt conclusion. The entire lift shuddered and shook with one final screeching lurch before halting completely. Both women exchanged tired looks between one another when the reality of this day settled over them like a thick fog.

_This is it_, Shego thought as she felt Kim's hand wrap around her cold wrist and pull the undead woman back to her unsteady feet. _I can't hold it off any more…_

The pervasive ache spreading throughout Shego's nerves had transformed into a cold, numbing blanket. Her senses and perceptions were dulling with each passing second, as though Shego were walking through dark, murky water that only continued to darken as it swirled into the abyss.

Still, she said nothing. Maybe she was scared; too scared to tell Kim the truth after everything they had gone through. She would hold out until the very last second available to her.

Kim pulled Shego's right arm over her shoulder and smiled with weak assurance towards Shego, who returned the expression with halfhearted guilt.

"You ready?" Kim asked as her hand hovered over the lift controls.

Shego managed a smirk and shook her head. "Just press the damn button, Princess."

Kim obliged without a word. With a click and a harsh metallic clamor, the walls of the elevator slowly parted, whining from a lack of oil and proper maintenance.

The moment the outside world began to reveal itself, cool fresh air suddenly rushed within the elevator's walls. Kim's eyes closed and she felt light-headed as she savored her first reprieve from the smell of dank, stale death for the first time in what felt like weeks. The relief was almost a physical force.

Shego stared calmly at Kim's almost drunk expression of joy, feeling none of the young redhead's relief. She then turned her dead eyes towards the scenery awaiting them, and Kim looked up following the older woman's gaze.

The view was quite a shock to the redhead. They were up in the mountains bordering the edge of Middleton, not far from where Mayhem did battle with GJ's forces. Dark forests and greenery peeked out through the twilight surrounded by gray spikes of granite jutting up above the trees and framing the wide horizon.

While she was Mayhem, Shego had become well acquainted with this scenery. But like everything else, Mayhem was unable to find any comfort in this natural beauty. Now, however, Shego could appreciate the quiet serenity around them.

_And life goes on, I suppose. _

As the two women stared out, thin trails of light began to peek out from over the edge of the world. Steadily the rays began to thicken and accumulate until a bright corona of light and warmth spilled forward, transforming darkness into light, night into day.

_A sunrise… God, how can you be so fucking cruel? _Shego thought bitterly. The irony wasn't lost on her.

Time suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl for the undead woman. Everything twisted and blurred, blending together harshly. Shego found that the ground was suddenly much closer than it had been seconds earlier. Then she thought she heard Kim scream.

Everything before Shego's eyes began to brighten and darken in the horrible, pulsating rhythm of a defective strobe light as she lay against the soft grass. She found that despite her best efforts she couldn't right herself from her prone position, she couldn't even feel her legs. Little by little, her thighs and waist began to numb as well, the sensation crawling up her body like bony hands. Death's cold grip.

_I can't hold on anymore, Pumpkin. _The raven-haired woman thought as she felt small hands turn her onto her back so that she could look up into panicked olive circles. The redhead seemed to be trying to shout something at her. Concentrating, Shego forced herself to take in Kim's words. They were dull and muted, but the thief could still understand.

"Shego! What's happening to you? Where are you hurt?" Kim said quickly, tiny buds of moisture forming at the corners of her eyes. She looked all over Shego's body, checking her up and down for any sign of a hidden injury, something she had missed this entire time that was causing Shego's condition to decline so suddenly.

Internally, Shego winced, realizing that now was the time. She couldn't put the truth off from Kim any longer. She owed the redhead that much, and so much more. When she parted her black lips to speak, her voice was hollow; Kim had to lower her head inches away from the thief's face to be able to catch her faint words.

"I-I'm not hurt, Princess…" The sable-haired woman said, averting her dull green eyes away from Kim's frightened expression. "It's somethin' else…"

Kim's eyes widened at how weak her archrival sounded, and had to bite her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "What… what do you mean?" She asked cautiously, speaking through a growing lump in her throat.

Shego grit her teeth and forced her confession past her lips. "…I've been on borrowed time s-since the moment I c-came to my senses…" Kim shook her head in blank denial, neither understanding the thief's words nor having any desire to. She couldn't even feel her fingers digging tightly into her palms as she looked down at Shego's incredibly pale features.

Against the redhead's silent plea, Shego continued. "This body… it's just t-temporary… and now it's… curtain call." She winced when she heard a strangled gasp from above. After a moment, Shego risked looking up into Kim's frightened olive eyes.

"No! No NO _NO_ _**NO**_!" Kim shouted in stark denial, her eyes tightly shut. She shook her head vehemently with every stressed word. "We made it out, we're _out_ and I can help you now, you… you dumb j-jerk! You're wrong! I can help you! I help everyone! EVERYONE! Dammit, JUST HOLD _**ON**_!" Kim said desperately, grabbing Shego tightly by her left hand.

"Just hold on and-and I…" _and I'll what? _Kim realized to her growing horror. If Shego was telling the truth, what could she realistically do? Her thoughts came to a crashing halt when she felt a cold palm rest against her cheek. Temporarily distracted by the contact, Kim looked down into Shego's eyes and saw a somber grin tugging at the corners of the undead woman's mouth. Shego didn't say a word, merely stroked her cheek to calm Kim down.

The ground suddenly trembled, and a low deep rumble echoed from deep within the earth. Kim could feel the seismic vibrations make their way through her spine from deep below the hill's surface. Neither woman needed to be told that that meant Drakken's tomb was now forever sealed, and all of those ghosts along with it.

That realization finally did it, Kim could hold back her tears no longer. Suddenly a deep sob wracked her body and tears began to spill down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook, and she could barely breath beyond her choking sobs. All the while Shego continued to silently stroke Kim's cheek to try and alleviate her worries. After five minutes of this, Kim grit her teeth, and forced herself calm down.

Shego 'tsked' at Kim mockingly from where she lay. "Y-you should see yourself… Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look crying over me?" She asked coyly.

Kim reached up and began using her forearm to try to rub away her tears with mild success before shooting Shego a look full of misplaced anger and accusation. "If you think that, than you have a really… unrealistic view of my priorities, Shego!" she snapped.

It took some effort, but the thief managed a shrug. "M-maybe…"

Shego looked over in the direction of the sun before turning back to Kim, her expression terse. "B-by the way, I'm n-not gonna apol-ologize for lying to you, P-Princess. I-If I didn't… my last day w-would have been way too angsty. Don't... w-wanna go out... all... emo... Heh…"

Kim nodded, stray tears continuing to fall, but no longer uncontrollably. "I'm not going to let it end like this, Shego!" The heroine stated resolutely. "I won't, I _can't_! I'll save you no matter what!"

Shego sighed, beaten and tired. "Let it g-go. There are some things eve-even you can't do, Kimmie."

"But…" Kim denied weakly, "I-I can do anything…"

She didn't know who she was trying to reassure anymore, Shego or herself. Honestly though, the answer was painfully obvious. Kim felt another terrible shudder wrack throughout Shego's limp form, causing her to suddenly pale.

"No…" Kim whispered to herself, denying the events transpiring before her eyes.

When the seizure abated, Shego looked up at Kim expressionlessly. "You're so stubborn… Then do this one thing for me, 'kay?" She asked faintly reaching her right hand over to Kim's back and pulling herself up into a sitting position.

Kim's mind went blank when she felt the cool sensation of the thief's lips brush lightly against her forehead lingering for barely a second. Then Shego lowered her mouth to Kim's left ear. Each one of Shego's words brushed against her ear intimately.

"Live. Live enough for the both of us… Or I'll come b-back and kick your… cute little ass…"

Then, the body held against Kim's slight frame went limp. Shego's head of dark hair rested on Kim's shoulder as though she were sleeping. A steady silence reigned, boasting a cruel truth at its center.

Resolutely, Kim wrapped both of her arms tightly around the cool body lying against her. Her no longer youthful face remained dry of tears.

After all, Shego would make fun of her if she cried.

* * *

(In the Still Darkness)

"Well, if this ain't just the most _interesting_ little role reversal." Shego said dryly as she sat in the darkness. The soft echo of recognizable footsteps came to a halt at her side, and the thief looked up at a familiar dark complexion.

"I just came to say congratulations," Mayhem said hollowly, her dull voice reverberating throughout the shadowy mental landscape.

Shego scoffed in annoyance. "Didn't I dump your lame ass? …Or something?" She wasn't exactly an authority on mental doppelgangers, so she couldn't be sure.

Mayhem's dark features scrunched in a rare show of annoyance before sitting down next to Shego cross-legged. "I'm a part of you, just like you're a part of me," she stated matter-of-factly.

Shego winced unconsciously. "_That_ sucks hard… Don't I _ever_ get a break?"

Mayhem sighed and rolled her eyes. Eventually, she turned to look over at Shego, a slight smile playing across her lips. "You know, you did something very brave and very noble today, Shego. Something I could never do. You should be very proud of yourself."

The thief scowled and shrugged. "Don't rub it in. This whole experience was totally anathema to my lifestyle, y'know?"

The dark specter decided that that statement was better left ignored. "I have a question I want to ask you."

Shego sighed and rubbed her temples but she doubted that Mayhem would leave her alone until she answered. "Spill."

"Do you have any regrets?" The ivory-haired figure asked bluntly.

Shego blinked in surprise at the question. She certainly hadn't expected _that_. After a moments thought, she answered. "… Nah, regrets are for losers who don't know how to live their lives."

"Shego…"

"Gahh! Fine, I do have one _teensy-weensy_ little regret, _okay_?" she snapped over at Mayhem's expressionless visage.

"…Go on."

Shego sighed dejectedly and prepped herself. "I just wish… that I could have spent more time… with Kim. She's… she's actually okay to be around, when I'm… when _we're_ not trying to kill her, I mean."

Mayhem nodded in agreement and added, "Kim _is_ an amazing young woman."

"So what now?" Shego asked suddenly, not allowing any silence to settle between them. As she spoke, she stood up and stretched, then cast a sidelong gaze towards her double in anticipation of her answer.

"Are you scared?" Mayhem asked carefully, locking her piercing white eyes with Shego's jade.

"I told Super-Drakken I'm used to this, didn't I?" Shego snapped defensively. She then crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes to further her point.

Mayhem shook her head and stood up matching Shego's gaze. "No one can get used to this, Shego," she stated softly, empathizing with the Necrolizer's experiences. No one understood better than _her_, after all.

Shego couldn't take that gaze for more than a second before quickly turning her back to her.

The thief's shoulders shook slightly when she felt Mayhem's claws rest on them reassuringly. "Is there anything left after this?" Shego asked, her voice betraying her nervousness.

"After death?" Mayhem smiled and turned Shego back so that they were facing one another. " I think you know," she answered calmly.

"Maybe…" Shego said finally, having considered her alternate's words. "I guess I might." On some deep level, she did know. Shego knew, and knew that there was nothing to be afraid of.

The raven-haired woman smirked and looked over at her companion. "I guess this is good-bye for good, huh?" Her voice barely hinted at a sadness brought on by the notion.

"Perhaps." Mayhem smirked in a very Shego-like fashion flashing her sharp teeth.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Then the phantasm turned and ran off into the infinite void.

Not to be left behind, Shego shouted after her, "You're on!" and followed her double into the unknown, into the future. For the first time in a very long time, she wanted to see what happened next.

**Death, and After That… Hope.**

Chapter 17: End


	18. Epilogue: Life After Death

**Here it is, the long awaited final chapter of my first fanfic (first real one anyway…), "Death, and After That…" I want to thank my brother; for telling me this fic's concept was impossible, My overactive imagination; without which I would be able to sleep at night. And lastly, my loyal Beta-Reader, Ffordesoon, who I bugged and annoyed for well over a month until this fic reached some semblance of literary coherency. Any dialogue that's even a little witty in these last two chapters, is Fford's fault. Blame him for being so **_**damn**_** good.**

I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does, and I also don't own Gungrave: Overdose, Red Entertainment does. This fanfic is non-profit fun and will be removed from the net the moment someone of status decides to bitch at me.

Death, and After That…

Epilogue: Life After Death

"_**Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…"**_

…_What?_

A steady mechanical rhythm assaulted disused ears and roused the sleeper from her silent dreamless slumber. Over and over again, the banal tone chirped with electronic precision. Never missing a beat, always in perfectly measured intervals. The sound continued to reverberate through the sleeper's eardrums.

It was incredibly grating.

_**"Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…"**_

_Grr, what the hell is that racket? That noise is so fucking __**annoying**_

Razor-sharp teeth ground together in growing frustration. With each passing moment, the tone seemed to get louder and more obnoxious.

_**"Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…"**_

A pair of clawed digits suddenly clenched shut with an audible twisting of tendons. Stiff shoulders shuddered and a smooth brow furrowed in rage. _Gah! You asked for it, asshole! I'm gonna get up and… huh?_

Almost instantly, anger melted away leaving behind equal parts confusion and curiosity. Something regarding these events was not adding up.

_I'm-I'm hearing things? That… That must mean… Impossible, there's no way…_

Slowly, with cautious hesitation a pair of pale-jade eyelids began to part, opening up to the outside world. Within a second's time, a pair of vibrant emerald eyes was exposed to soft white light. For the first time in who-could-say, the sleeper was awake.

Once again, Shego was alive.

_How in the hell… _Shego's vision was blurred and unfocused, both very familiar symptoms of reanimation. Her nerves tingled with dull sensation and her equilibrium seemed to shift from side-to-side as though she were drifting through the ocean in a leaking dinghy.

When feeling finally returned to her skin, a familiar sensation could be felt along her wrists, ankles, and neck.

_The chair!__ NO!_

Looking down suddenly to view where she currently sat, Shego fully expected a chilling view of harsh black metal and aggressive restraints. Instead the sight was almost the exact opposite. Pure white cushions, instead of rivet-covered steel, long tubes feeding into dark blue bracelets and anklets leaving her arms free movement. No drill-like needles burrowing into her veins.

Reaching up, Shego could feel a similar ring around her neck. She also appeared to be clothed in some kind of thin hospital gown and slippers.

With a sudden hiss, the bracelets, anklets, and necklace suddenly detached with a snap and retracted into ports along the seat. The beeping stopped along with it.

_I'm, …am I still… like that? If I was plugged in like before then I guess that's a definite yes… __Damn..._ That revelation left Shego's emotions in a jumbled mess.

Yes, she _was_ happy to be back, from… she wasn't sure where, but she was certainly happy to be back. However, she was back as whatever the hell she had been turned into. That didn't exactly leave Shego with a wealth of options. Living from transfusion to transfusion, neither able to eat or sleep... that wasn't any kind of life; not for her, not for anyone else.

What was she even supposed to _call_ herself? Drakken called her a D.E.A.D., but that was just asinine. If Shego was gonna be stuck like this, than she would certainly come up with a better term than _that_.

During this mental deliberation, Shego's vision cleared up to the point that she could assess the room she currently resided in. The walls, floor, ceiling, _everything_ was pure blinding white and sterile as a hospital room or laboratory.

_Hell, with my luck this probably is a laboratory. Hey, how long was I even out this time?_

A row of monitoring equipment lined the right wall beside the seat; each screen seemed to be dedicated to recording information on Shego even as she watched. For the most part they were unrecognizable save for a monitor focused on her brain's activity.

As she continued to look over the white chamber, she noticed the white door at the far end. There didn't appear to be any doorknob, just a keypad. Did that mean she was a prisoner? Like _hell_ she was. If she had been brought back to life only to be imprisoned and studied, then she would be perfectly happy to show her keepers her... "gratitude."

Slowly, Shego looked to her left and quickly jumped to her feet with a start. She apparently wasn't the only person in the room.

A young woman Shego didn't immediately recognize sat to her far left on the edge a metal folding chair. The woman appeared to be somewhere between her early-to-mid twenties. Long, shiny auburn hair was tied over her shoulder in a loose ponytail. She wore a tidy white lab coat over a white button-up blouse, and a dark blue knee length skirt. A thin pair of reading glasses rested on her nose in front of a pair of reflective olive eyes.

The woman seemed tense, with her hands clasped tightly together and her eyes wide in anticipation. The woman opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself and swallowed nervously.

…_Kim's mom__? Who else could it be?_

"Uh… D-Dr. Possible? 'S that you? H' long was I out?" Shego finally managed to ask. Her voice was hoarse with disuse, but the words came out clear enough.

At her question, the young woman's eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly a quick relieved laugh floated up from the young woman's throat, and she smirked closing her eyes, and reaching up to remove her glasses. When she finally looked up again, Shego could see thin trails of liquid running down her eyes. A sad smile was pulled across the woman's full lips.

"Welcome back, Shego," the woman said, before she ran forward and threw her arms tightly around the pale woman's chest.

Too shocked by the sudden action to respond, Shego simply continued to look down at the woman in confusion before finally finding the courage to respond. "Who… who are…"

Not bothering to look up, the woman shook her head into Shego's shoulder and laughed. "Idiot. I told you, didn't I? I w-wouldn't let it end like that. I told you, I save _everyone_..."

Suddenly, a seemingly recent memory assaulted Shego's mind, a memory remarkably similar to this very moment. It contained a crying redhead as well, and a solemn promise. Almost reflexively, Shego's arms rose up and wrapped tightly around the redhead's back, holding her softly.

Shego wished she could cry along with her, she certainly felt like that would hit the spot.

Apparently Kim Possible kept her promises; the amount of years required to follow through on them didn't matter.

_Y'know what?_ _I don't care if I'm like this__. Really.__ I honestly don't give a shit. I'm done complaining about second chances, I'm done whining and moping and __getting all angsty__ just because of some shitty circumstances. It's unfair to her, and it's unfair to me._

Looking down at the smaller body she held, Shego smiled and gently increased her grip, pulling the woman closer and burying her face in the crook of her neck, taking in her sweet fragrance.

_If it's for her… if she's with me… Then I know I can find the hope I need to move forward. If it's for Kim, __then__ I can still hope._

"I'm back, Princess," the thief whispered resolutely. "I'm back." Then she grinned. "And I do believe I owe _someone_ a _very_ thorough ass-kicking."

Kim laughed, gulping down the lump in her throat. She looked up then, her smile slightly less pronounced. "Not _today_...?"

Shego chuckled. "No, Princess. Not today."

**For today and for the future, they can find the hope to move forward.**

* * *

Middleton at night was quite a striking scene.

Thousands of tiny lights filled in the darkened scenery, flickering on and off at random intervals. Remarkably, the illumination was not so great that the stars were blotted out. It looked almost as if there were two cities there, each the mirror image of the other; the city in the sky and the city on the earth. Few suburban towns could boast such a spectacle.

But some could not appreciate this beauty, or any other. To some, these lights were little more than markers for individual targets.

Two such individuals watched the city with predatory intention. Between them there was no capacity for empathy or mercy. Within their twisted souls, there was room for only one human emotion to keep them anchored to this world: hate, pure and white-hot, yet black as night beyond night.

The larger of the two, a lumbering juggernaut of impossible dimensions, hissed out a breath of frost from between his clenched lipless jaw. An enormous cross-like slab of metal was strapped across the mammoth creature's enormous back. Drowned-blue fingers clenched and unclenched as it assessed the lights in a growing rage. Life itself was an affront to this monster, a fatal insult.

Piercing white eyes narrowed, and the creature gazed down at his companion.

**"WHAT NOW?"** asked the towering beast, his booming voice echoing across the grassy plain.

The smaller figure to the juggernaut's right sneered, barely acknowledging his companion's presence. He was decidedly simian in appearance, with long arms hanging down nearly to his knees. He stood hunched over and bowlegged, making him appear much shorter than was actually the case.

With a snort of annoyance, the second figure answered. "What do _you_ think, you idiotic carbuncle?" he snapped.

The taller figure roared out at this slight and stamped his foot, shaking the earth beneath them with nearly enough force to send the shorter man to the ground. He barely kept his footing.

**"YOU'RE PUSHING YOUR LUCK, **_**MONKEY-MAN**_ The juggernaut warned.

The shorter man cast his partner a fierce glare, baring a mouth full of long tusk-like fangs. After exchanging mutual looks of warning, the shorter man grinned. "What now, you ask? Why, what else?" He regarded the city one final time before striding purposefully toward the sleeping populace.

"What is left to the dead... but revenge?" The dark figure asked coyly.

The juggernaut gave a quick bark of a laugh, and shrugged. In merely two impressive strides, the giant was side-by-side with his dark companion as they made their way on foot slowly towards the city.

In his massive arms, the juggernaut held a large glass canister throbbing and pulsing with a cold, glowing blue-white light.

_**Fin**_

**Author's Notes: Did I mention that this story is the first part of a trilogy? No? Whoops, my bad. **

**Your comments on this story are greatly appreciated, I **_**NEED**_** them.**


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